Bypass Condition
WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2002 Mercury Villager. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
Check the brake fluid and fill to specification. With the brake master cylinder cap removed, observe the fluid level when the brake pedal is slowly depressed for one stroke and then quickly released. If the fluid in the brake master cylinder reservoir rises while the brake pedal goes down and drops when the brake pedal is released, but the net (overall) fluid level in the reservoir remains unchanged, the brake master cylinder is bypassing.