Brake line freezing due to exhaust pipe being in front of wheels (alongside brakeline). I bought a 97 F-150 7 months ago. I recently noticed that it's increasingly difficult to get out of my driveway some days, the truck smells terrible (like something burnt) & my gas mileage is awful. I have been releasing the brake, the light is off, the pedal is up, but the brake apparently is still on. The tires & rims are icing up, the brake shoes on that side are crumbling. This causes poor braking conditions. I called the dealership, I had been told to watch for this problem, & had wanted it fixed. ( I would rather not find out how bad this is by something or someone. ) in fact, that is the reason that I was given when I was told that Ford would fix it, until they saw the milage on the vehicle, then they told me, nope we wonT fix it, youll have to pay us $700 (cdn) as a "good will gesture" from Ford. (this seems a little steep!) & also they thought I should bring the truck in so they can make sure that thereS no damage to the wheels or brakes. If the brakes can freeze on, ... what stops them from freezing when they are not on?? I'm told there is a great deal of hydraulic pressure that stops this from being an issue, but the system is only as good as it is weakest part, & when using "brute force" to break them free, I would think something somewhere has got to give. If there were safety concerns that were the reason that Ford was making the modifications whilst the vehicle was still under itS original warranty, I should think these safety concerns do not go away once the truck is not on warranty. I would think that this would be a recall situation, not just a bulletin. They have admitted that it is a problem, & were even fixing it if it was under the original warranty, but I believe that this problem goes much further, & Ford should be liable for the repairs, since it is a flaw in the design of the vehicle. I have contacted Ford Canada, & got no result.

- Bon Accord Alberta Canada, AK, USA