Rear brakes on the 13th-gen F-150 are straightforward sliding calipers, but they hide a drum-in-hat parking brake inside the rotor. The piston compresses straight in with a C-clamp - there is no screw-in rear piston and no electric parking brake motor on this generation, so no scan tool is needed.
Sizes are the same across 2.7, 3.5 EcoBoost, 5.0 and 3.3 trucks; what changes is rotor size and pad shape based on payload package, 6-lug vs 7-lug wheels, and Raptor. The one thing people get wrong is fighting a stuck rotor: if the hat won't clear, the parking brake shoes are still adjusted out - line up the access hole and back the star wheel off before you reach for the hammer.
| Item | Type | |
|---|---|---|
| Floor jack 2.5-3 ton, low profile Lift the rear axle at the differential or axle tube. | Required | shop |
| Jack stands 3 ton pair Support the frame rails while wheels are off. | Safety | shop |
| Wheel chocks Chock the front wheels since the parking brake gets released. | Safety | shop |
| Breaker bar 1/2 in drive, 24 in Break loose lug nuts torqued to 150 ft-lb. | Required | shop |
| Lug nut socket 22 mm deep, 1/2 in drive (21 mm on some steel-wheel/fleet trucks) Removes the wheels. | Required | shop |
| Socket set 3/8 in drive, 13 mm and 15 mm 6-point Caliper guide pin bolts (13 mm typical rear, 15 mm on some builds). | Required | shop |
| Socket 21 mm 6-point, 1/2 in drive Caliper bracket (anchor plate) bolts to the axle flange. | Required | shop |
| Ratchet and short extension 3/8 in and 1/2 in drive Access bolts behind the wheel opening. | Required | shop |
| C-clamp or piston compressor 6 in C-clamp or disc brake spreader Pushes the rear piston straight back in; this piston does not screw in. | Required | shop |
| Bungee cord or wire hook Hang the caliper so the flex hose is not stressed. | Required | shop |
| Torque wrench 1/2 in drive, 30-250 ft-lb Lug nuts and caliper bracket bolts. | Required | shop |
| Torque wrench 3/8 in drive, 10-80 ft-lb Guide pin bolts to spec without stripping. | Recommended | shop |
| Flat screwdriver or brake spoon Long flat blade / star wheel adjuster tool Back off the parking brake shoe adjuster through the rotor access hole so the rotor releases. | Required | shop |
| Dead blow or 3 lb hammer Frees a rusted rotor from the hub. | Recommended | shop |
| Wire brush Clean hub face and bracket slide surfaces. | Recommended | shop |
| Brake cleaner Non-chlorinated, 2 cans Cleans rotor coating and hardware. | Consumables | shop |
| Silicone brake grease High-temp synthetic caliper grease Guide pins, pad ears and abutment clips. | Consumables | shop |
| Anti-seize Nickel or copper Thin film on hub face only, not on lug seats or friction surfaces. | Consumables | shop |
| Rear brake pad set 2015-2020 F-150, match to 6-lug vs 7-lug/heavy-duty payload Replacement friction. | Parts | shop |
| Rear rotors Pair; verify diameter (13.7 in standard, larger on HD payload/Raptor) Replacement discs. | Parts | shop |
| Brake fluid DOT 3 motor vehicle brake fluid Top off or bleed if the master is disturbed. | Consumables | shop |
| Turkey baster or syringe Pull fluid from the reservoir before compressing pistons so it does not overflow. | Recommended | shop |
| Nitrile gloves and safety glasses Brake dust and cleaner spray. | Safety | shop |
Socket sizes do not change by engine - 2.7, 3.5 EcoBoost, 5.0 and 3.3 trucks all use the same rear caliper hardware. What varies is the parts: heavy-duty payload package trucks and Raptors use larger rear rotors and different pads, and 7-lug wheels (some fleet/HD builds) change the lug pattern though the nut is still 22 mm. A few steel-wheel fleet trucks use 21 mm lug nuts.
| Wheel lug nuts | 150 ft-lb (204 Nm) |
| Rear caliper guide pin bolts | Approx. 25-30 ft-lb (34-40 Nm) - verify in the service manual |
| Rear caliper bracket / anchor plate bolts | verify in the service manual (typically 70-100 ft-lb range on this platform) |
| Brake hose banjo bolt (if disturbed) | verify in the service manual |
Lug nuts are 22 mm and bracket bolts 21 mm across nearly all 2015-2020 F-150s, but guide pin bolt heads vary between 13 mm and 15 mm by build and caliper supplier, so test-fit both and confirm torque values in the Ford workshop manual for your VIN.
No. This generation uses a cable-operated parking brake with shoes inside the rotor hat, not an electric caliper motor, so the piston just compresses straight in with a C-clamp.
Either rust at the hub or the parking brake shoes are still adjusted against the drum surface. Rotate the rotor to line the access hole up with the star wheel adjuster and back it off, then tap the hat with a dead blow.
The caliper bracket (anchor) bolts are 21 mm, and the guide pin bolts are typically 13 mm, though some builds use 15 mm. Lug nuts are 22 mm on almost all trucks.
150 ft-lb (204 Nm) in a star pattern, with the truck's weight on the wheels. Re-check after about 100 miles.