went out in the car yesterday, after about 20 mins, i said to my son can you smell something funny, anyway as soon as i took my foot off the accelerator i noticed the cars speed slowed quicker that normal, first thing i thought was the handbrake must have locked on,went to the back of the car and checked both wheels for excessive heat, seemed normal, went to the front offside, thats ok, went then to the nearside, and i could could hear crackling sound, and it was very hot indeed, tried tapping it to no avail, managed to get it to a mechanic i know, and left the car with him, two hours later came the dreaded phone call, he had tried to repair the caliper and took it for a test drive, and it done it again, so it needs a new caliper £95.00 +£55.00 for a set of pads, and maybe a new brake pipe, he says they sometimes melt, but he will not know till he takes it to pieces, expensive day ride out, is this common on a focus, or is it rare? :(

It happened on my old mk1 and I have heard about it on a few others. Its not strictly a ford problem, I have changed a few calipers now due to them seizing up. It can take out the wheel bearing sometimes so thats one to be aware of.

I have yet to see a hose melt though..