megmed

I have a 2001 Ford Escape V6 2WD Automatic. The brake light kept coming on and we noticed that the brake fluid was getting low. We filled the reservoir and 3 days later, the light came back on and it was low again. We took it to a mechanic who said that we needed new pads and rotors. He "ran" the car overnight to see if he could find a leak. Even though there is a dark oily film on the outside of the reservoir, he could not locate any leak. We just had the front brake pads and rotors replaced, and the brake fluid levels were topped off. It's now 3 weeks later, and the brake light came back on and the fluid levels are low again. Has anyone experienced this? What should we do? Do you think we need to replace the reservoir?

jwko

Did the mechanic even check the rear brakes? There's definitely a leak somewhere and pads or shoes wont fix it. Dumb Mechanic.

It's probably leaking at the wheel cylinders/calipers or at the master cylinder.

The best advice I can give you is take it to the dealer or a reputable mechanic and have the brake system fully checked out.

lahdel

I did have the same problem with my 2001 v6 2wd escape, except with mine the brake light would go on every 2-3 weeks or so, and i kept having to fill the reservoir. I also was getting a film or brake fluid all over the outside of the reservoir too... I know this may sound a bit strange, but I turned the seal inside the cap upside down so it would seal against the reservoir a bit better and I haven't had to add any brake fluid since =) so, perhaps you could replace the reservoir or the cap and it would work better for you! (without rigging it like i did, of course lol)