Re: Need new front brakes at 38,000 miles
 

38,000 miles is way too soon for new brakes. I have an old car that sits outside for months at a time. The rotors rust so bad that they make grinding noises for about 20 miles. Then they burnish in a deep blue.

68,000 miles on the hooptie.

I'm driving a 2008 Yukon hybrid mostly now. 113,000 miles and the rotors and pads are perfect. About 70% pad left.

The braking in Neutral is a good idea to shut off Re-Gen braking. However, almost all hybrids will turn off Re-Gen on bumps. Stability control is more important than a few joules of energy.

Also, Re-Gen rolls out at lower speeds < 7 mph and friction blends in to finish most stops.

If you don't believe this get out and touch the rotor.

Re: Need new front brakes at 38,000 miles
 

Reviews that I read when considering buying an FEH indicated a concern that the stopping distance on the hybrid Escape was longer than it should be and longer than a non hybrid Escape and suggested that disk brakes are needed on the rear. They attributed it to the increased weight of the battery pack.

(I couldn't find an FEH at a price that I liked and a month ago ended getting an '09 TCH with very low miles on it instead. I'd still like an Escape and preferably a 4WD one to pull a very steep dirt, granite gravel and rocky hill from a campground to our cabin in the Sierra that is definitely a 4WD hill part of an early 1900s mountain road. I was impressed that the Forest Service District Ranger visited us a couple of summers ago and drove an FEH 4WD up the hill and when I asked him about it he said they were buying them in his area from now on and they were working out very well.)

Re: Need new front brakes at 38,000 miles
 

My FEH has 72K on it with the original brake pads. Just took a wheel off to replace pads and have 6.5 - 7MM of pad left.