Owners of other Ford or Lincoln vehicles such as the Fiesta, B-Max, Escape, Edge, Bronco Sport, Explorer, Expedition, Transit, Focus, Mondeo, S-Max, Puma, Kuga, Endura, Everest, Ka, Figo, Endeavour, Aviator, Corsair, Nautilus and Navigator may also find these DIY instructions to be helpful.

A few compatible replacement sets of new front brake pads for the 2018, 2019 and 2020 EcoSport with their part numbers include the following: Power Stop 16-1044, Centric 105.1044, Akebono ACT1044, StopTech 308.10440 and DuraGo BP1044.

Please verify the correct part numbers for your SUV by using the Amazon Part Finder website. The correct brake pads may vary depending on the model year, trim level, transmission type (FWD - front wheel drive or AWD - all wheel drive) and the region of the world where the vehicle was manufactured.

The tools and other items needed to complete this procedure include a lug nut wrench, a floor jack, two jack stands, a large flat head screwdriver, a 7mm hex head socket with a 3/8" drive ratchet or a 7mm Allen key wrench, an "F" clamp and a tube of brake caliper grease.

The first few steps are to drive the SUV on to a level surface, shift the transmission into "Park" and turn off the ignition.

Engage the emergency / parking brake and place wheel chocks on both sides of the rear tires to help prevent the vehicle from moving.

Slightly loosen the four lug nuts on the front wheel by turning them about 1/2 to 1/3 turn in the counterclockwise direction with the tire iron. I had to use a large 1/2" drive breaker bar with a 19mm socket (or you can use a 3/4" socket) to loosen the lug nuts since the lug nut wrench was missing from the cargo area.

Carefully raise the front of the SUV with the floor jack and securely support it with at least two jack stands.

Please do NOT solely rely on the floor jack to support the vehicle.

Spin off the four lug nuts in the counterclockwise direction and set them aside in a safe place.

Carefully pull off the front wheel and tire.

Some home mechanics choose to place the wheel and tire under the frame rail of the vehicle as a backup support device just in case the car falls off the jack stands.

There is a metal anti-rattle spring clip attached to the outer face of the caliper.

I recommend wearing gloves and protective glasses before moving on to the next step.

Very carefully pry the metal spring clip off the caliper. Try to avoid using excessive force to prevent the spring clip from flying off and hitting you in the face.

Locate the two round black plastic dust caps on the back side of the caliper.

Use a flat head screwdriver to pry out the plastic covers.

Attach a 7mm hex head socket to a 3/8" drive ratchet or you can instead use a 7mm Allen wrench.

Loosen the top caliper bolt by turning it in the clockwise direction (as seen from the outside of the vehicle) with the 7mm Allen wrench or 7mm hex head socket.

Note - If you slide under the engine bay (not recommended for safety reasons) and look at the back side of the caliper, you would loosen the caliper bolts in the usual counterclockwise (lefty loosey) direction. Since you are looking at the front side of the caliper, as shown in these pictures, the wrench will be turned in the opposite clockwise direction to loosen the bolts.

Spin out the bottom combination caliper bolt and slider pin.

Set the two bolts / pins aside in a safe place.

Rest the caliper on the rotor.

Try to avoid twisting, pulling, kinking or stressing the rubber brake fluid hose.

The old outer (or "outboard") brake pad might be glued to the caliper by a layer of brake quiet gel.

Use a flat head screwdriver to loosen the adhesive and pull the outer pad out of the caliper.

The inner (or "inboard") brake pad is held in place to the caliper by three metal prongs inserted into the piston.

Pull the old inner brake pad out of the caliper and detach the 3 metal prongs from the piston.

On this 2020 EcoSport Titanium, the wear indicator bar was located at the top of the inner brake pad.

Move to the engine bay and locate the brake fluid reservoir bottle.

Twist off the black plastic cap on the reservoir tank in the counterclockwise direction.

Set the cap aside in a safe place.

Removing the reservoir cap will allow the brake fluid to more easily travel back through the lines when you compress the caliper piston.

Make sure the piston is going straight back in and not at an angle.

Repeatedly check the fluid level in the reservoir while you are compressing the caliper piston to make sure it doesn't overflow.

Clean up any spilled brake fluid immediately since it can easily damage painted surfaces.

Continue compressing the caliper piston until it is just about flush with the rubber dust boot that surrounds it.

Try to avoid pinching or damaging the rubber dust boot that surrounds the piston.

Since brake fluid is hygroscopic (absorbs moisture from the air), you should replace the reservoir cap as soon as possible.

Twist on the cap in the clockwise direction to secure it in place.

If your EcoSport has been exhibiting shuddering or vibrations in the front end while braking, you might need to replace the old warped or worn out rotors.

A few compatible replacement aftermarket rotors with their part numbers are as follows: Power Stop AR85191, Callahan CRK02821 and Raybestos 682291FZN.

To replace the rotors, remove the two 15mm bolts on the back side of the bracket and detach the bracket from the steering knuckle. (The caliper bracket is also known as the "brake caliper anchor plate" or the "torque member").

Carefully slide the old rotor off the lug studs. Clean off the lug studs and steering knuckle with brake parts cleaner spray.

Slide the new rotor over the lug studs. Re-attach the caliper bracket to the steering knuckle by replacing the two 15mm bolts.

I don't have the service manual for the EcoSport but I checked the service manuals for the related C-Max, Focus and Escape vehicles which share the same brake components.

The service manuals for those vehicles list the torque specification for tightening the 15mm front bracket bolts with a torque wrench as 129 lb-ft (or 175 N-m).

The front caliper bracket bolts must be "TTY" (torque to yield) because the service manuals specify that they should NOT be re-used.

Please verify this torque specification for your specific vehicle since it might vary depending on the model year.

Install the new inner brake pad into the piston.

The wear indicator bar should be situated at the top of the inner brake pad.

Apply some brake parts lubricant grease to the caliper bracket where it will come into contact with the new pads.

Do not get any grease on the friction surface of the new pads or on the rotor.

Install the new outer brake pad into the bracket. Push in the outer pad until it is flush with the rotor.

Carefully lower the caliper down into the bracket.

Lubricating the slider pins will help keep the caliper operating smoothly.

Spin in the top and bottom caliper slider pins / bolts in the counterclockwise direction (as seen from the outside of the vehicle).

Note - If you slide under the engine bay of the SUV and look at the back side of the caliper, you would tighten the caliper bolts in the usual clockwise direction. Since we are looking at the outer face of the caliper (as shown in these pictures), I tighten the caliper bolts by turning the wrench in the counterclockwise direction.

The service manual specification for the Focus, Escape and C-Max for tightening the 7mm hex head caliper bolts / slider pins is 21 lb-ft (or 28 N-m) of torque.

It would be best to use a torque wrench to tighten the caliper bolts. If you don't have a torque wrench, make sure the caliper bolts are snug.

Line up the metal anti-rattle spring clip with the outer face of the caliper.

Make sure the two ends of the clip are securely inserted into the holes.

It would be a good idea to bleed the brake lines and flush out the old fluid with fresh DOT 4 brake fluid.

I highly recommend using the Allstar Performance Bleeder Bottle to bleed the brake lines. It makes the procedure a very easy one-person job compared to having an assistant repeatedly pump the brake pedal.

The brake fluid bleeder valve is located on the back side of the caliper just below the top bolt. To open and close the front brake bleeder valves, you'll need an 8mm wrench.

In general, the brake line bleeding order for most vehicles is to start at the caliper furthest from the brake fluid reservoir and work your way to the closest caliper. So the order most likely should be as follows: right rear, right left, front right and front left.

The torque specification in the Focus, Escape and C-Max shop manuals for tightening the bleeder valves is about 79.65 in-lb or 9 N-m.

Try to avoid over tightening the bleeder valves to prevent from stripping the threads or breaking them.

Spin on the four lug nuts a few turns by hand in the clockwise direction to help prevent them from becoming cross threaded.

Slightly tighten the lug nuts in a criss-cross or star pattern with the lug nut wrench. That is easier to accomplish with five lug nuts, but do your best to progressively tighten the four lug nuts.

Continue tightening the lug nuts to the owner's manual specification of 100 lb-ft (or 135 N-m).

Sit in the driver's seat of the car and firmly press the brake pedal a few times to help restore the brake line pressure. Check the brake fluid in the reservoir and verify that it is at the proper level. If it is low, add some fresh DOT 4 brake fluid.

To break in your new front brake pads, just drive normally for the first few hundred miles while trying to avoid any hard or "panic" stops which might glaze over the new pads and cause them to be noisy and/or not perform as well.

It's also a good idea to regularly check your driveway for drops of brake fluid which may indicate a leak, check the brake fluid level in the reservoir, and also verify that the lug nuts are still tight.

Be sure to record the brake pad change in your vehicle's service records.

For more, check out all of the 2013-2021 Ford EcoSport DIY Repair & Maintenance Guides.