"check brake systems"

[jringstaff]

new to the forum guys, thanks for having me!

I have a 2011 Limited EL. Last week I started getting an occasional "check brake system" warning.

I was told that it could be anything from a bad battery to a bad bulb in a break light. Checked those all is good. Brakes are fine as well.

Any other advise or things to check before I have to bite the bullet and take it to the dealer?

Thanks again.

 

[JUST4FUN]

Well it could be as easy as low brake fluid. you say its a 2011 but you give no mileage
have you done brakes on it?

 

[jringstaff]

Sorry im a rookie at this forum deal.

65K miles... Brakes were checked at last service and said they looked fine. The brake fluid is just a hair under the MAX line.


I guess I need to have the brakes checked again.


Brakes are a foreign land to me, I try to work on my own stuff as much as possible but I have never messed with brakes.

 

[The eXpedition]

Sorry im a rookie at this forum deal.

65K miles... Brakes were checked at last service and said they looked fine. The brake fluid is just a hair under the MAX line.


I guess I need to have the brakes checked again.


Brakes are a foreign land to me, I try to work on my own stuff as much as possible but I have never messed with brakes.

It could be the ABS sensor, I had the same message once when I was off road torturing my 2012. They found it loose, another time they changed it. Then all set and good.

 

[metaldrgn]

It could be the ABS sensor, I had the same message once when I was off road torturing my 2012. They found it loose, another time they changed it. Then all set and good.

Yes I was thinking the same thing. Abs sensor or wiring.

 

[wowtuo]

My 09 navigator got the same error every morning when I started the car in cold, it does not always show up, I guess some sensor may become bad. How to check and confirm which wheel this is without replacing all four firstly?

 

[Richard Mickelson]

(Check Brake System) This message is also on on my 2011 expedition. I changed out the parking brake switch thinking this possibly could be the problem, it was not.... Everything else is just fine, brake fluid level remains the same, no fluid leaks anywhere, braking has never change still stops on a dime. I did a temporary fix about 6 months ago with a piece of tape over the light, that was over 15,000 miles ago. I'm not about to take this to my local dealer so he can rip my head off. Now the real question is, has anyone else had the same issue? I don't need people to just keep guessing. I already read most of the guesses. Their has to be others out here that have had the same problem.

 

[Motorcity muscle]

So does this set a code when it turns on check brake system light?

 

[Richard Mickelson]

No there is no code what so ever, wishing there was.

 

[Mikezr]

Just leave it as long as the fluids up and brake pads are good the light will go away. Mine did anyways. It came on when I used the brakes with the truck off lasted a few days and went out

 

[chefcreamer]

Any update on how to solve this problem? I have a 2013 EL 174,000 it started with freezing temperatures and continues on and off.

 

[Gary Waugh]

My daughter’s ford edge, had the same issue, but hers did provide a code. It was due to the ABS module (pump and valves) failing, the unit was $1000 and $600 to change the unit, bleed the brakes and program the ECU with the new ABS serial number. Solved the issue, but cost a fortune, given the age of your expedition I suspect the ABS unit might be failing.. but that’s just a guess..

 

[mjp2]

Any update on how to solve this problem? I have a 2013 EL 174,000 it started with freezing temperatures and continues on and off.

If it's related to temperature I'd suspect the vacuum system. The brake booster has an engineered life of 150k miles, and was the cause of my issues.

I'd sometimes see the dash light pop up but it was super intermittent and seems related to temps. Over time (~2 years) it became more frequent until it was just on all the time. Replaced the brake booster assembly and everything was back to normal.

Also, as it was a gradual deterioration, I never noticed that the brakes were getting harder to apply. With the new booster I had to adjust my expectations and step on that brake pedal much lighter than I was used to.

For what it's worth, the job is super easy (less than an hour in the driveway) and doesn't involve any mess. The master cylinder remains sealed and all lines stay attached.

 

[mjp2]

Any update on how to solve this problem? I have a 2013 EL 174,000 it started with freezing temperatures and continues on and off.

Quite a bit of time has passed since you post but I managed to solve my issue for free.

After throwing parts at the truck (master cylinder, brake booster, vacuum lines, etc.) the issue remained intermittent. It wasn't a total loss because after 200k+ miles the truck definitely benefited from the new parts, but it didn't fix the brake warning light coming on.

On a hunch I disconnected the massive connector that plugs into the ABS control module, sprayed the contacts on both sides with DeoxIT, coated the contacts with dielectric grease on the connector side, and carefully reassembled. Reassembly was slow as the dielectric grease pushed out but it all fit.

No Check Brake System error messages since through hot and cold weather. It's worth a try, especially for the price.