Leaking Brake Calipers

[sah]

In January and again in April I took our 2014 Ford Fusion to the dealer for servicing under our extended warranty.  In January it was for a defective

blower fan and in April it was for a stalling problem.  When I picked the Fusion up after both of these servicing the Service Advisors told me that my

left rear brake was getting into what they refer to as the "Yellow" area.   However, my private mechanic informed me that my brakes were fine.

 

This past Friday I took our Fusion to my private for Inspection and because we were preparing for a road trip I told my mechanic to do the rear brakes,

I then got a very unexpected surprised - both rear brake calipers were leaking badly and required immediate replacement.   I asked my mechanic if this

could be the reason that the left brake had been wearing down more then the right brake - my mechanic said - absolutely.

 

The Ford Service Advisor never informed me that there could be a serious problem causing the left rear brake to be near "Yellow", only that it was.

 

Is this a matter that I should take up with Ford or is it a gray area?

[bbf2530]

23 minutes ago, sah said:

In January and again in April I took our 2014 Ford Fusion to the dealer for servicing under our extended warranty.  In January it was for a defective

blower fan and in April it was for a stalling problem.  When I picked the Fusion up after both of these servicing the Service Advisors told me that my

left rear brake was getting into what they refer to as the "Yellow" area.   However, my private mechanic informed me that my brakes were fine.

 

This past Friday I took our Fusion to my private for Inspection and because we were preparing for a road trip I told my mechanic to do the rear brakes,

I then got a very unexpected surprised - both rear brake calipers were leaking badly and required immediate replacement.   I asked my mechanic if this

could be the reason that the left brake had been wearing down more then the right brake - my mechanic said - absolutely.

 

The Ford Service Advisor never informed me that there could be a serious problem causing the left rear brake to be near "Yellow", only that it was.

 

Is this a matter that I should take up with Ford or is it a gray area?

 

Hi sah. Here is my educated opinion: There is not anything you can really take up with the Dealership.  The calipers likely began leaking after your April visit to the Dealer. It is relatively safe to assume your Dealer would have informed you in April if your calipers were leaking, if it had been seen in the April visit multi-point inspection.

Good luck.

[sah]

2 hours ago, bbf2530 said:

 

Hi sah. Here is my educated opinion: There is not anything you can really take up with the Dealership.  The calipers likely began leaking after your April visit to the Dealer. It is relatively safe to assume your Dealer would have informed you in April if your calipers were leaking, if it had been seen in the April visit multi-point inspection.

Good luck.

 

Hi bbf2530,

 

Being that the Service Advisor informed me at my January servicing informed that the left rear brake was near "Yellow" and that it is abnormal for the left side to be more worn then the right side - wouldn't this be an indication of a more serious problem?  I'm not saying that the calipers had been leaking since January or before, but just that one side was worn more is a problem that the Service Advisor did not get into. 

 

[bbf2530]

1 hour ago, sah said:

 

Hi bbf2530,

 

Being that the Service Advisor informed me at my January servicing informed that the left rear brake was near "Yellow" and that it is abnormal for the left side to be more worn then the right side - wouldn't this be an indication of a more serious problem?  I'm not saying that the calipers had been leaking since January or before, but just that one side was worn more is a problem that the Service Advisor did not get into. 

 

 

Hi sah. According to the story-line, your Dealer Service Department told you in January and April that you needed new left rear brake pads, but you decided not to have the work performed by the Dealership and took it to your private mechanic. And both times your private mechanic told you your "brakes were fine". If you think the Dealer techs missed something, well so did your private mechanic.  Why not address this with your private mechanic? He told you your brakes and brake pads were fine both times. 

 

Your private mechanic did not notice caliper leaks in January or April either. He only discovered the leaks when he began a complete brake job last Friday. You can't expect the Dealer service tech to see leaks during an eyeball only multi-point inspection when your private mechanic didn't see it in his inspections either. I was not there so am not saying either one did anything wrong or missed any obvious signs, but at least your Dealer warned you twice in ~3-4 months that the pads were in the yellow.  Your private mechanic said everything was fine when it now looks as though everything was not fine. Also keep in mind that if both the left and right rear calipers were leaking, it did not seem to wear the right rear pads, since only the left seemed to be in the yellow, according to what you wrote.

 

It doesn't seem either one did anything wrong.  It took doing a brake job to discover the problem.  And you didn't ask either one to do a brake job until last Friday.

 

If you want to go back to the dealer and address your concerns, feel free to do so. However, first ask your private mechanic the same questions you have for the Dealer, since he is the one who told you twice that everything was fine.

 

That is my opinion according to what your have written above.  Whatever you decide to go, good luck.

 

 

Edited June 6, 2018 by bbf2530

[sah]

26 minutes ago, bbf2530 said:

 

Hi sah. According to the story-line, your Dealer Service Department told you in January and April that you needed new left rear brake pads, but you decided not to have the work performed by the Dealership and took it to your private mechanic. And both times your private mechanic told you your "brakes were fine". If you think the Dealer techs missed something, well so did your private mechanic.  Why not address this with your private mechanic? He told you your brakes and brake pads were fine both times. 

 

Your private mechanic did not notice caliper leaks in January or April either. He only discovered the leaks when he began a complete brake job last Friday. You can't expect the Dealer service tech to see leaks during an eyeball only multi-point inspection when your private mechanic didn't see it in his inspections either. I was not there so am not saying either one did anything wrong or missed any obvious signs, but at least your Dealer warned you twice in ~3-4 months that the pads were in the yellow.  Your private mechanic said everything was fine when it now looks as though everything was not fine. Also keep in mind that if both the left and right rear calipers were leaking, it did not seem to wear the right rear pads, since only the left seemed to be in the yellow, according to what you wrote.

 

It doesn't seem either one did anything wrong.  It took doing a brake job to discover the problem.  And you didn't ask either one to do a brake job until last Friday.

 

If you want to go back to the dealer and address your concerns, feel free to do so. However, first ask your private mechanic the same questions you have for the Dealer, since he is the one who told you twice that everything was fine.

 

That is my opinion according to what your have written above.  Whatever you decide to go, good luck.

 

 

 

I'm thinking, perhaps I'm not stating myself well.  What I'm trying to state is that shouldn't the Ford Service Advisor let me know that it is not normal

for one side to get more worn then the other and that because one side was more worn, that that is a definite indication of a more serious problem?

 

I'm not saying they should have known about the calipers - I'm saying that instead of just letting me know one side was near the "Yellow", that the

Advisor should let me know that I need to find out why one side is more worn!   The problem is the service report just stated that I may or may not

require servicing of my left rear brake - very wisy washy.

 

[bbf2530]

3 hours ago, sah said:

 

I'm thinking, perhaps I'm not stating myself well.  What I'm trying to state is that shouldn't the Ford Service Advisor let me know that it is not normal

for one side to get more worn then the other and that because one side was more worn, that that is a definite indication of a more serious problem?

 

I'm not saying they should have known about the calipers - I'm saying that instead of just letting me know one side was near the "Yellow", that the

Advisor should let me know that I need to find out why one side is more worn!   The problem is the service report just stated that I may or may not

require servicing of my left rear brake - very wisy washy.

 

 

Hi sah. Brake pads don't wear at exactly the same rate. Perhaps the left rear pads were just into the "yellow" zone and the right rear pads just outside the "yellow" zone. Maybe the pads were within the normal wear rate for opposite sides (brake pads are replaced on both sides at once, even if only one side is worn). We don't have enough information to know.

 

And I understand exactly what you are attempting to say and I am addressing all of it in my replies. However, you skipped right over what I said about your private mechanic not telling you anything either. According to your private mechanic, there were no brake issues in January or April...at all. All pads fine and absolutely no uneven wear. So not only did he not notice the different wear on each side, but he also told you your brakes were fine. The bottom line is, your Dealership informed you that your car needed a rear brake job in both January and April, then at the advice of your private mechanic you chose not to have it performed. So you wound up needing one last Friday. It's over and done. To be fair, I wonder more about what your private mechanic missed than I do the Dealership.

 

And I assume you told your private mechanic that the Dealer told you the left rear pads were "in the yellow". So he knew you were told there was uneven or "abnormal wear". Why didn't your private mechanic tell you in January or April that there must be a more serious problem instead of telling you your "brakes were fine"?

 

Also, your private mechanic told you the calipers were leaking on the left and right rear.  What explains the right rear not wearing prematurely? Too much unknown information.

 

As I stated above, if you want to go back to the dealer and address your concerns, feel free to do so. However, first ask your private mechanic why he did not notice the uneven wear or any wear issues at all. He told you your brakes were fine in January and April. Let us know what he says. No sense debating it here.

 

Whatever you decide to do, good luck.

Edited June 7, 2018 by bbf2530

[eGuru]

I seriously doubt that both or any rear caliper was actually leaking as that would have been very obvious to the dealership and your private mechanic at those multiple inspections.

 

Did you ever notice any loss of braking performance or have to top up the brake fluid?

 

I seriously don't trust the analysis of your private mechanic.

 

[sah]

On 6/6/2018 at 7:20 PM, bbf2530 said:

 

Hi sah. Brake pads don't wear at exactly the same rate. Perhaps the left rear pads were just into the "yellow" zone and the right rear pads just outside the "yellow" zone. Maybe the pads were within the normal wear rate for opposite sides (brake pads are replaced on both sides at once, even if only one side is worn). We don't have enough information to know.

 

And I understand exactly what you are attempting to say and I am addressing all of it in my replies. However, you skipped right over what I said about your private mechanic not telling you anything either. According to your private mechanic, there were no brake issues in January or April...at all. All pads fine and absolutely no uneven wear. So not only did he not notice the different wear on each side, but he also told you your brakes were fine. The bottom line is, your Dealership informed you that your car needed a rear brake job in both January and April, then at the advice of your private mechanic you chose not to have it performed. So you wound up needing one last Friday. It's over and done. To be fair, I wonder more about what your private mechanic missed than I do the Dealership.

 

And I assume you told your private mechanic that the Dealer told you the left rear pads were "in the yellow". So he knew you were told there was uneven or "abnormal wear". Why didn't your private mechanic tell you in January or April that there must be a more serious problem instead of telling you your "brakes were fine"?

 

Also, your private mechanic told you the calipers were leaking on the left and right rear.  What explains the right rear not wearing prematurely? Too much unknown information.

 

As I stated above, if you want to go back to the dealer and address your concerns, feel free to do so. However, first ask your private mechanic why he did not notice the uneven wear or any wear issues at all. He told you your brakes were fine in January and April. Let us know what he says. No sense debating it here.

 

Whatever you decide to do, good luck.

 

I did speak with my mechanic, and I must say I am a bit dismayed.  He did know about the left side being more worn in April.  However, as a result of his knowledge of my prior and current driving habits - he felt that both rear brakes were in good condition for my usage, the problem here is that although my mechanic did know - he did not inform me, which would have given me the option of telling him to inspect further to find the reason.   I was very surprised to hear this as he has always been excellent with all the work he as done in the 15 years.   It was only when I informed him of our road trip and told him I wanted to have the rear brakes taken care of that he found both calipers were leaking - I was also informed that without taking apart the brakes, the leaks would not be noticed upon just a visual inspection.  

[sah]

21 hours ago, eGuru said:

I seriously doubt that both or any rear caliper was actually leaking as that would have been very obvious to the dealership and your private mechanic at those multiple inspections.

 

Did you ever notice any loss of braking performance or have to top up the brake fluid?

 

I seriously don't trust the analysis of your private mechanic.

 

 

The brake performance was OK - which is why I thought the Ford Service Advisor was just looking for more work (and money).  No problem with brake fluid either.

[bbf2530]

2 hours ago, sah said:

 

I did speak with my mechanic, and I must say I am a bit dismayed.  He did know about the left side being more worn in April.  However, as a result of his knowledge of my prior and current driving habits - he felt that both rear brakes were in good condition for my usage, the problem here is that although my mechanic did know - he did not inform me, which would have given me the option of telling him to inspect further to find the reason.   I was very surprised to hear this as he has always been excellent with all the work he as done in the 15 years.   It was only when I informed him of our road trip and told him I wanted to have the rear brakes taken care of that he found both calipers were leaking - I was also informed that without taking apart the brakes, the leaks would not be noticed upon just a visual inspection.  

 

1 hour ago, sah said:

 

The brake performance was OK - which is why I thought the Ford Service Advisor was just looking for more work (and money).  No problem with brake fluid either.

 

Hi sah.  As you've now discovered, this simply is a case where no one did anything wrong and nothing would have changed other than you would have had a full rear brake job sooner.

 

You had no loss of brake performance, no loss of fluid and no braking issues to speak of.  You were told by the Dealership that your rear brakes were worn to borderline in January and April, but decided to wait a while, on the advice of your private mechanic.

 

According to your private mechanic now, the Dealership service tech could not have known you had a leaking caliper without a deeper inspection, so you could not expect them to warn you of it, since even your private mechanic did not either. And for a deeper and more in depth brake inspection, you should normally expect to be charged for the time, so most people will not pay for that, and most likely you would not have either.

 

This was a no harm, no foul issue and it's good it could be settled.

 

Good luck from here on in.

 

Edited June 8, 2018 by bbf2530

[sah]

3 minutes ago, bbf2530 said:

 

 

Hi sah.  As you've now discovered, this simply is a case where no one did anything wrong and nothing would have changed other than you would have had a full rear brake job sooner.

 

You had no loss of brake performance, no loss of fluid and no braking issues to speak of.  You were told by the Dealership that your rear brakes were worn to borderline in January andApril, but decided to wait a while, on the advice of your private mechanic.

 

According to your private mechanic now, the Dealership service tech could not have known you had a leaking caliper without a deeper inspection, so you could not expect them to warn you of it, since even your private mechanic did not wither. And for a deeper and more in depth brake inspection, you should normally expect to be charged for the time, so most people will not pay for that, and most likely you would not have either.

 

This was a no harm, no foul issue and it's good it could be settled.

 

Good luck from here on in.

 

 

Thank you for all the input & advice - greatly appreciated!!

[eGuru]

I am surprised that the dealership and private mechanic could visually  inspect your brakes and measure or estimate the remaining pad life but not see leaks from two calipers.

[sah]

3 hours ago, eGuru said:

I am surprised that the dealership and private mechanic could visually  inspect your brakes and measure or estimate the remaining pad life but not see leaks from two calipers.

 

As am I.  But my mechanic informed me that without taking it all apart - a leak or leaks would not be visible.

[twiggy144]

I disagree. Caliper leaks will show evidence of brake fluid leaking and even on the ground WHEN the brake pedal is applied.  This is what happened to me on a Taurus. Usually calipers leak when the fluid is under pressure. 

[sah]

1 hour ago, twiggy144 said:

I disagree. Caliper leaks will show evidence of brake fluid leaking and even on the ground WHEN the brake pedal is applied.  This is what happened to me on a Taurus. Usually calipers leak when the fluid is under pressure. 

 

    OK, but if in fact the calipers had been leaking for a period of time - would that not have caused a lose of brake fluid and brake pressure, and

   poor or difficulty with applying the brakes?    I did not experience any problems with braking.

 

[eGuru]

5 hours ago, sah said:

 

    OK, but if in fact the calipers had been leaking for a period of time - would that not have caused a lose of brake fluid and brake pressure, and

   poor or difficulty with applying the brakes?    I did not experience any problems with braking.

 

Given the above, you must therefore conclude that you really do not have a need for new calipers as the old ones were not leaking.

[sah]

On 6/9/2018 at 6:47 PM, eGuru said:

Given the above, you must therefore conclude that you really do not have a need for new calipers as the old ones were not leaking.

 

Oh, but they were leaking - I saw how they were leaking when they were removed.

[eGuru]

 

On ‎6‎/‎9‎/‎2018 at 6:47 PM, eGuru said:

Given the above, you must therefore conclude that you really do not have a need for new calipers as the old ones were not leaking.

 

8 hours ago, sah said:

 

Oh, but they were leaking - I saw how they were leaking when they were removed.

 

Then it seems that all was correctly and fairly done.

The dealership and the private mechanic did their jobs credibly.

 

Enjoy your Fusion and the summer!

[bbf2530]

Hi sah.  I agree with eGuru above. It seems there was no reason for your worries about what the Dealer and your mechanic did/didn't do.  You can now rest easy that everything was done correctly by both.

 

One additional observation though. In your first post of this thread, you mentioned you have an extended service plan. Not knowing what type of plan you have, did you check to see if your ESP covers the brake calipers?

 

Enjoy your Fusion and good luck.

Edited June 11, 2018 by bbf2530

[Fusion Dad]

Has any one experienced a leak from the electric park brake?

i recently changed the right rear caliper assembly. I removed the electric brake from the old assy and installed on the new caliper assy. I was unaware of the need to put in service mode. During the bleeding process the electric brake leaked really bad. 

I have spent many hours researching but can't find much info.