gern Posted December 29, 2019 Report Share Posted December 29, 2019 New to the forum, just throwing out some thoughts to the Ford Edge brake problems. I have a 2012 Edge Limited bought new in 2012. Sometime in 2015, the brake booster went out and was covered by the dealer due to the booster recall. When I picked up the vehicle after the repair and drove away, the brake pedal was spongy and went to the floor. I turned around and went back and was told by their service guy it was normal. It wasn't normal and obviously had air in the system. Spoke to the manager and issue got resolved. Today I experienced the same spongy pedal that went to the floor, no brake light or abs light came on, no leaks. My first thought was master cylinder, and it still may be so I ordered a new one today. Checked and found no codes present or pending. In the mean time, I decided to bleed out the system to see what would happen. Bleeding out the system brought back a firm pedal with good breaking but will it last? I have read on many forums where the 2011, 12 and maybe other years as well where experiencing the same issues with the brake pedal going to the floor and mechanics where unable to reproduce the issue and where chasing parts to figure out what the problem was at great expense to owners. I do my own work but still do not like chasing parts to figure out what a problem is. If anyone is interested, I will update on whether the bleeding solved the problem but I will still install the new master cylinder as a precaution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmen S Posted January 2, 2020 Report Share Posted January 2, 2020 My 2011 Edge Limited is doing the exact same thing! The brake booster has already been replaced in the past, and my dealer has had it for 10 days and nobody can figure out what's wrong with it. My problem is that I would press the brake pedal to the floor and only the front brakes would only stop the car after it was at the floor. The rears would do nothing. Any advice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gern Posted January 2, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2020 So far, bleeding my brakes has fixed the problem for me. I did not do an abs bleed, just at the calipers. If my problem comes back however, I will do an abs bleed as well. I use the Forscan program to activate the abs to perform this function. My pedal went to the floor as soon as I drove off from the dealer after the booster was replaced during the recall. The dealer had to bleed brakes several times to bring up pedal to my satisfaction. I wouldn't know what steps they are taking to figure it out for your vehicle but bleeding the brakes plus abs would be one of the first steps to take when there is a pedal that displays air in the system. My first thought on my pedal was a bad master cylinder. I went ahead and ordered a new one but decided to do the brake bleed while waiting for the part to come in and so far my pedal is staying up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bb56 Posted January 16, 2020 Report Share Posted January 16, 2020 (edited) On 1/2/2020 at 12:04 PM, gern said: I will do an abs bleed as well. I use the Forscan program to activate the abs to perform this function. I just downloaded the latest version of forscan for my 2011 Edge. I don't see the abs bleed procedure in the list of procedures. I'm assuming (guessing) that the 2012 is the same as the 2011 in so many respects. All I found was the ABS self test. Where did you find the ABS bleed procedure? Also, is it possible to bleed the brakes without removing the wheel using a jack and jackstands? UPDATED: No it's not. Have to remove the wheels but it was easy after that. Edited January 17, 2020 by bb56 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gern Posted January 16, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2020 I can tell you what I know of the program but Forscan forum is the best place to ask. The abs test is where you would bleed which activates the system. I use a pressure bleeder to keep pressure on the system as well. What kind of problem are you having? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gern Posted January 16, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2020 Sorry, forgot to reply to your second question. It is possible to bleed brakes with tire on but so much easier when you take wheel off and looking at the bleeder. I forget what size the bleeder screws are but the ones in the front take slightly larger wrench to open than back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xtra Posted January 16, 2020 Report Share Posted January 16, 2020 Brake fluid has hygroscopic properties - meaning that it absorbs moisture ( water ) during its life in your car through the pipes, hoses and joints that it lubricates. As the water content in the brake fluid increases, the temperature the liquid boils at decreases. This can cause air bubbles to form in the lines. Here is a link to some info on this subject. https://www.nwherald.com/sponsored/articles/2016/03/18/33804857/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrgrouper Posted January 17, 2020 Report Share Posted January 17, 2020 I had the same issue after a booster change. The pedal was low and spongy. Backing up briskly and stomping on the brakes hard enough to activate the ABS, two or three times, fixed the issue with me. JM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bb56 Posted January 17, 2020 Report Share Posted January 17, 2020 @gern THe pedal goes pretty low when I step on it and engages brakes softly at the bottom. It also goes pretty low when I start it with my foot on the brake. It takes a long time to stop and no tire squeal or ABS on dry roads. I get ABS action when one side is off the road in dirt. The rear bleeders are 11 mm and the fronts are 8 mm (5/16). @Xtra I just did a full 4 caliper bleed and did not see any air and the pedal feels the same as before the bleed. The fluid that came out was pretty darn clear so, rather new I'm guessing. @mrgrouper My pedal is low and spongy like yours was .So the other day I did the backup hard stop (about 15 mph) routine a couple of times but could not get ABS to kick in or get any tire squeal. Maybe I'll try it tomorrow again as we're supposed to get snow. That should make it easier to engage the ABS. I wonder why going in reverse worked for you... Overall, if I just sit on the brakes while stopped, they slowly travel down to the bottom, but the car never moves. It seems that if I am slowing to a stop and I pump the brakes after the initial press, the pedal is higher with each pump and the brakes are more firm. I'm thinking it's the master cylinder with these symptoms (like the fluid is bypassing the piston and it gets more fluid with each pump.) I'm going to search for people's experience with changing the master (I really don't look forward to bleeding the brakes again - my garage is too small to do it easily.) Thanks for the helpful responses. Bart 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bb56 Posted January 17, 2020 Report Share Posted January 17, 2020 @gern The forscan forum showed this: https://forscan.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=11840&p=41134&hilit=abs+bleed+ford+edge&sid=21ab43342cfccc273cfc999ad95ec14b#p41134 which leads me to believe it may not be available on my 2011. Interesting how one poster said he did it on a 2013 though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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