I need some advice. I had an annual service at my Ford Main Dealer and during that they recommended a brake fluid change for safety. It seemed sensible so I agreed. They did this on 7th January 2026. On the 22nd January 2026. I got a low brake fluid level warning on the dashboard. I checked the fluid reservoir and it was completely empty. I called out an engineer via Ford Assist and they took one look and said the rear bleed nipples had not been tightened. There was brake fluid across both rear braking systems, tyres and alloy wheels. The engineer stated that the dealer had returned the vehicle in a dangerous condition and that I should insist on changing the pads, discs, tyres and alloys at the dealers expense. They stated it was very lucky that the vehicles brakes had not failed and caused a serious accident. My wife , daughter and 3 year old grandson had been in the car together over the previous two days driving along the motorway. The following day 23rd January 2026 I called out another engineer from Ford Assist to confirm and they did. Then I decided to get an independent garage locally to do an inspection. They recovered the vehicle and put it on ramps on the 25th January. They confirmed in their report that the bleed nipples were loose and that the rear brakes, wheels and tyres had been contaminated with brake fluid. Just a few months ago I had spent £600 on having new rear discs, pads and two new tyres. I asked the main dealer to replace these and to refinish the alloys. They have refused to do so. They looked at the vehicle during w/c Feb 2nd and stated that they could find no evidence of contamination ( no surprise there then). They are refusing to replace the items that were affected. Whilst they have my car they provided a replacement. I have stated that this was a major safety breakdown in their duty of care to a customer and that they put the lives of my family at risk and the lives of other road users at risk. They have spoken with the local garage that did the report and they are claiming that the garage did not do a thorough check and that their assessment was the definitive one. The brake fluid leaked out from 7th January - 22nd January. when the reservoir was finally empty. The engineers I instructed inspected the vehicle at that time. The Ford Main Dealer inspected the vehicle 12 days after that. The Service Director has contacted me stating that there was no risk to us as the low fluid level light would come on before the level fell below critical. This is untrue as it was completely empty when the warning message came on. Also it is my understanding that the hydraulic braking system is a pressurised one and that the loose bleed nipples would have allowed air to enter the system causing potential air bubbles, reduced braking performance and increased stopping distances, during the period 7th January and the 22nd January . I would therefore assert that my families safety was significantly compromised during this time. I am getting no where with the Ford Main Dealer. They are pushing me to take my vehicle back and to recover the loan vehicle. I am stating that I am not agreeing to receive back my vehicle until the remedial works are completed. I am in the process now of contacting Ford UK to escalate this situation. Thoughts anyone and is there a preferred contact point for Ford UK.

Hi,

This sounds like an awful experience and I am sorry to hear about it, but I don't think you'll get far with the dealer or Ford UK. Will need some sort of legal advice I think.

The nipples can't have been loose when they left the dealership as fluid would have leaked immediately and you would have lost the firm feel of the pedal. I suspect they were left finger tight and vibrated loose over time, only posing a risk on the final drive when the fluid actually leaked out.

The low fluid light will come on as soon as the fluid drops in the reservoir. There is still fluid inside the master cylinder at that point. The pedal would have hit the floor and stayed there if there was genuinely no fluid in the system. So the dealership is sort of right about that.

Unless the fluid has visibly stripped the paint off of the alloys, they won't have been damaged in this incident. The tyres won't have been damaged either after such a short exposure time. And brake discs are just lumps of iron, they can be degreased safely. It is really only the pads that must be replaced in this situation, and of course the hydraulic system needs to be refilled and bled, including the clutch line if it's a manual. Have the dealership agreed to do that at least?

(Out of interest, do you mind giving us a clue which dealership it was? There aren't many in this area so I can have an educated guess.)

Thanks for the information.