I have a 2001 Ford Ranger 4x4 that developed an odd problem almost two years ago that no mechanic I’ve taken it to has been able to find and fix, and I and my more car-savvy friends haven’t had any luck with either.
About maybe 50% of the time when I sharply turn left (only left, never right) the brake pedal goes “soft” and the vehicle’s braking power drops dramatically (but not entirely). Because of the sharp angle required to make this happen, and the low speeds I have to be moving at to even handle that sharp of a turn with this vehicle, this has only ever happened when I pull into a parking spot, and the vehicle still manages to come to a complete stop safely before being in danger of hitting anything. It never ever happens at any other time, and brakes like a champ normally.
I’ve had numerous other issues with the brakes in this vehicle in the last two years, all of which I’ve fixed. This one eludes me and every mechanic I’ve taken it to, though. I’ve replaced both calipers, both rotors, the brake pads, bled all four brake lines, and had the ABS control unit and ABS motor replaced.
At the time the issue first appeared, I had two damaged calipers caused by shoddy brake pads disintegrating on me (almost new, barely worn, but covered in pockmarks, looked like a Michigan road) and clogging up the calipers. That caused the vehicle to lurch to a halt with screeching tires if I so much as barely tapped the brake pedal. Replacing the calipers and brake pads fixed that issue, but did not fix the soft pedal issue when turning left. I ended up with the same screeching sudden stop problem recently when the ABS module went bad, replacing it fixed that, the brake pads and calipers are still in good condition, and replacing the ABS did not fix the soft pedal issue.
I’m literally out of ideas and no mechanic so far has managed to help me with this. Any suggestions at what else could be the cause would be most highly appreciated. Thanks!