97 Breaks not working

[crackedvenom]

My mom came home the other day complaining the breaks dont work. I tested them, and they go all the way down to the floor. They will work a tiny tiny bit but if you were on a highway, youd be SOL. We checked the brake fluid and it looked low, so we added some. We then pumped the breaks, as we were told by her friend. Did that for a bit and nothing happened. They still go down to the floor and dont work, any ideas?

Thanks so much.

edit: its just a 97 ford taurus. not a wagon.

[shorod]

If the fluid is low it's either because the brake friction material is worn and needs to be replaced or you have a leak. Either one requires more than just adding more brake fluid. You should carefully inspect the brakes at all four wheels. If all the brakes are fine, then check for puddles when the brake pedal is pressed and held. If that doesn't show any leaks, then you probably need to bleed all four brake lines. If bleeding them also doesn't fix the soft pedal then you're probably looking at a bad master cylinder.

-Rod