Mend > Cars

'97 Ford Fiesta - brakes failed, then started to work!?

1997 Fiesta 1.25l 16v LX.

After driving for about 15 minutes i slowed down and pulled into a car park and the brakes failed.The pedal was completely slack, and pushed all the way to the floor with no effect. Here's the weird part - after a few minutes of driving slowly around the car park to test them, they suddenly worked and the pedal had as much resistance as before!

There are no leaks in the brake fluid. I have had the brake discs and pads changed as they were worn but as the fault cannot be simulated again i have no way of knowing what the original problem was.Any ideas would be greatly appreciated as i'm concerned this could happen again..

elissa
July 2005

Ford Ford Fiesta Vehicles, Cars Ford Fiesta Brakes

Just getting you up to date on the brake failure on my Ford Fiesta. Took your advice and got it to the garage right away. When they stripped down the master cylinder the seals were worn and there'd been a leak into the servo, so you were spot on. Great advice thanks!!!

elissa
July 2005

Hi, Im a mechanic, and it sounds like you might have a contaminated master cylinder. If the brake fluid is really dark like black coffee,, and the rubber on the cap is all warped you have a hydraulic failure in the master cylinder. Some seals are starting to go bad and they move. this might exlpain your pedal getting better again. Nothing ever fixes itself. It just starts working again, but they will fail again if you dont look into it. Be safe and have a licensed mechanic look at them. ASE mechanics are the best.

Donald
July 2005