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Brake issues and no pedal on BIL's Atlas

VWguy2025

VWguy2025

Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2025
Messages
16
City & State/Province
Nebraska
My BIL also has an Atlas, he changed the front brakes (pads and rotors), and it seemed fine after a test drive with some hard stops. He parked for a while and went to drive it again.

Suddenly, in the middle of driving, it got a brake fluid warning, and now there's no pedal at all.

I helped check the car out and didn't see any leaks. I even added more fluid, but there were still no brakes.

I told him to do the back brakes and then bleeding all the brakes, but not sure if it really gonna fix it. Does anyone have any other ideas?
 
Great idea to bleed the brakes, make sure to do all four. If there are no leaks and the pedal is still soft, there might be air trapped in the system or a problem with the master cylinder. Did he open the bleeders while pushing the pistons? If not, dirt could have gotten pushed back in. Also, check that the calipers aren't installed upside down (the bleeder should be on top). Let us know how it goes
 
VWguy2025 said:
ikr! he didn't really believe me so he haven't done it. I think I'll help him with the car this weekend. check the calipers too, got it!
Click to expand...
Not sure if you did the job or not, but while you're bleeding the brakes you might want to check if there's a leak somewhere. Air in the system would cause s spngy pedal, but I don't think it would cause it to drop to the floor. I think being the keyword here
 
VWguy2025 said:
My BIL also has an Atlas, he changed the front brakes (pads and rotors), and it seemed fine after a test drive with some hard stops. He parked for a while and went to drive it again.

Suddenly, in the middle of driving, it got a brake fluid warning, and now there's no pedal at all.

I helped check the car out and didn't see any leaks. I even added more fluid, but there were still no brakes.

I told him to do the back brakes and then bleeding all the brakes, but not sure if it really gonna fix it. Does anyone have any other ideas?
Click to expand...
Good idea doing the rear brakes and then a full bleed.
Another thing to consider is if the master cylinder itself went bad.
It's less common but if it's not holding pressure, even with fluid, you won't get a pedal.
 
Might probably be air trapped in the system or possibly a faulty master cylinder after the front brake job. Bleeding all brakes is definitely the first step, but if the pedal stays soft or goes to the floor, the master cylinder could be the culprit
 
Sounds like you’re on the right track with bleeding all four brakes, that usually solves most air-related pedal issues. If the pedal still goes to the floor after a full bleed, I’d start looking at the master cylinder. It can fail right after a front brake job if it was already weak. Double-check caliper orientation and bleeders too, but chances are it’s either trapped air or the master.
 

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