This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The brake pedal has gone soft, to the floor, several times during normal braking in the last four months. It greatly increased stoping distance. It seems to have occurred on snow covered or rough spots on the highway. All of the events occurred on asphalt paved roads. It self corrects fairly quickly. The problem seems to be the same as reported by other owners of 07-09 Fusion and Milan.
This had been a repeat issue I would hit a bump or pothole while also pressing the break. There would be a brief sound of the ABS kicking in, followed by a sudden and alarming loss of brake pressure. While pressing the brakes, there would be a moment where back pressure will be felt, then would pass that threshold and fully pressing the brake to the floor would be necessary to stop the vehicle. This would continue to occur for some time (usually the duration of the drive) and repeatedly pumping the brakes while stopped might return it to normal functionality only for a little while. Same problem as of today 3/2017 charleston,
Either in 2008 or 2009, shortly after purchasing a brand new 2007 Ford Fusion, I was greeted with the first major issue of my brakes going out on me while driving. Find out this was due to a defective master cylinder. The engine light turned on within 3-4 years of having the vehicle, and was found to be related to the thermostat, the engine would always run towards the cool end, never going above 1/3 of the way to the halfway mark. That was fixed after years of failed attempt. And all the while, I never had a functioning air condition unit and would have to repair yearly, and then found to be related the car always running too cool. Over the past two years, I have had to replace the gasket twice, because oil would appear in places it should not (I always maintain my car by doing the oil changes, etc on time). This past Sunday, I was driving and going around 70 mph when my car started to decelerate to 65, then 60, then would not go past 40 so I pulled off the interstate and drove back home. Over the next couple of days I smelled burnt oil, and the same issue with oil being where it should be happened again. Mechanic is telling me it is done, and after researching, this is not something unique to just my car. This is dangerous and people have reported many horrifying stores on the same issue, with some people's Fusion combusting and stalling them on the highway. I did notify the Ford company today of all the safety issues and other issues related to my car, just so they have it documented on their end as well. I am appalled this car does not have recalls other than the one related to the airbags, which they can not fix yet, posing my passenger at risk.
As of Feb 2017, I have approximately 92,000 miles on my car. In winter of 2014 after going over a patch of ice and the ABS engaging the brake pedal became spongy and went to the floor. Brakes still applied but felt like manual mode. After several days of difficult braking the issue resolved itself and normal braking resumed. However, every time I braked in a gravel area or such with limited traction and the ABS would engage, it would create a brake issue for several days. In October 2015, the issue became permanent, however I found I could correct it temporarily by pulling the fuse associated with the ABS control module with engine off, starting the car with it out and reinserting the fuse seemed to reset the module and it worked properly again for a day or 2 at best before reverting back to the soft pedal issue. I also noted, pulsing the pedal and then slamming on the pedal, as you would during emergency braking, would create a normal pedal feel at times, but that is not needed during typical driving and would immediately revert back to poor pedal feel. I've recently called my local Ford parts department, and was told that the part for a 2007 Ford Fusion, part # 7E5Z 2C215A, is no longer available, and there is no guarantee that the part for the 2008 Fusion would fit or work with a 2007 ECU. So I'm left with finding one in a scrap yard or taking a chance that a $1,235 2008 part may work with my vehicle. Please help, as if it were not that I am a cautious driver with my vehicle, accidents may have occurred due to this issue.
I want to add my name to the brake softening issue that occurs on some Fusion after the ABS is activated. This has happened several times and it takes days for the brakes to recover. The most recent time occurred last week and the brakes are still soft and the pedal goes to the floor before proper breaking occurs. I am very concerned because if I need to stop quickly to avoid an accident or pedestrian, I am afraid I won't be able to. Please continue to investigate. Due to the nature of this problem, I feel this issue should be a recall. Feel free to contact me if you have additional questions about this issue.
- Kennewick, WA, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
The brake pedal goes soft when I brake on a rough, or uneven road. The pedal remains soft until the car is shut off, and not used for an extended time period of time. This has happened to me more than once. The first time was in late 2015. I spent over $500 getting a majority of the braking system replaced. It just happened again on Monday, Feb 13, 2017.
I have experienced problems with the brakes on 2 occasions; both times the anti-lock has engaged briefly and then the brake pedal went "soft", traveling quite far. The first time I was driving over a rough spot and applied the brakes. The second time the anti-lock brakes engaged when I braked on an icy spot.
While driving my 2007 Ford Fusion approximately 35 miles an hour and approaching a stoplight, I applied the brakes to slow down and the car passed over a rough patch of road with several potholes. The brake pedal became soft and moved down towards the floorboard and the car coasted without continuing to slow down. After releasing the brake pedal and then applying the brakes again, the pedal was still soft and the car continued to coast and eventually came to a stop well into the intersection after the brake pedal was mashed to the floor. The soft brake issue continued as I drove the car to a repair shop to have it looked at. The repair shop has been able to remedy the fix by bleeding the brake lines but the issue has recurred over time and there does not appear to be a permanent fix made available. This is the fourth occurrence of this "soft brake" problem over the last two years. Each time it has occurred I have avoided a collision but worry that I may not be as lucky the next time this occurs. I purchased the vehicle new in July 2007 and had no brake issues until two years ago. Given that this is a recurring problem, I have done some research and noticed that others are beginning to have the same experience that I am and have reported it. I hope the NHTSA is able to investigate this issue and issue a recall that will make these vehicles safer for everyone on the road.
My 2007 Fusion frequently has soft brakes, the brake pedal feels squishy and goes down to the floor and I am unable to stop within my desired stopping distance. This usually happens when the car is in motion on city streets however last night it happened in my garage. It has happened several times (June 24, 2016 through Jan 9, 2017) and I do not feel safe driving my car. I have had 2 master cylinders, brakes flushed 2 times, 2 new front rotors, and paid for diagnostic testing but the only code displayed was that the car needed new spark plugs.
While driving in downtown columbia, SC on devine St. December 6, 2016, it started raining. I saw the car in front me indicate they were going to turn so I tried to stop. The brake pedal touched the floor and the steering wheel started shaking. I started to slide, and before my car slowed down, I hit the car in front of me. Moments later the car behind me collided into the rear of my car,
I was driving down garners ferry in columbia, SC on a rainy day in June, towards where it turns into devine St., and as I passed the target (shoppes at woodhill, 6090 garners ferry rd, columbia, SC 29209) I started attempting to slow down because the road is downhill. As I started to press the brakes the car didn't seem to be slowing. I took a second to glance down and make sure I was pressing the brake. I was so I panicked and started stomping the brake. I felt the car shaking and vibrating the steering wheel and it sounds like the brakes were locked but I couldn't stop my car before rear-ending an SUV at full speed in my Ford Fusion on the garners ferry/devine St. And rosewood/wildcat rd. Intersection. The front end of my car was damaged totaling over $1,000.
Between 55-65K the brake pedal became soft/mushy and sporadically would go all the way to the floor/firewall when trying to stop; sometimes rolling through a stop sign or a traffic light. At first, it was sporadic; then, the brakes needed to be pumped every time before stopping or the car would continue to travel as the brake pedal would go all the way to the floor/firewall. Eventually pumping the brakes did not work and I had a mushy brake pedal with no brakes at all that would go right to the floor and the car would not stop. I had new rotors and pads installed and bled the brakes but this did not correct the problem. After researching and diagnosing the problem I bought and installed a used hydraulic control unit from the identical make, year and model as my car. I could not afford a new unit at $880 dollars plus tax and dealer installation $$$$. the brakes worked fine after the used hydraulic control unit was installed. The problem is that after an anti-lock breaking event a valve in the unit remains stuck in the open position and causes the soft breaking.
On June 29, 2013 I was driving on route 13 towards highway 71 in Ohio near bellville. I began to attempt to stop at the second stop light before the highway passed over 13 and my brakes failed to respond. I heard on the news about the investigation into the brake failure for these types of vehicles and wanted to help. I was sited for the accident, but my brakes were less than 6 months old. I never had contact with the woman I hit because my car rolled through both intersections, I had to use the grass median to slow the car before using the parking brake to stop the car completely. The car rolled about 1,600 ft before I could stop it. I can provide more information with time as I now live in Texas.
Major accident due to faulty brakes. I was driving with in a major intersection and traffic stopped suddenly and when I brake the car's brakes did not respond so I rear ended a vehicle in front of me. I even tried to avoid the vehicle by going outside the lane, but brakes delayed.
The contact owned a 2007 Ford Fusion. While driving 50 mph, the brakes failed when applied and the contact crashed into another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact was injured and required medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 180,000.
Brake pedal will randomly go to the floor, losing all brake control. When pedal is pumped, I regain brakes, but have had some very close calls. It usually does it while in motion. This has happened several times. Local Ford dealer found no brake problems when inspected.
When hitting a bump in the road while braking or after braking quickly and hard, brake pressure/resistance is lost--not completely, but disarmingly noticeable. I have to pump the brakes once to feel more pressure/resistance. My Fusion has experienced this problem for years. I'm pretty sure I reported it to the service department of harrold Ford in sacramento ca years ago and that I was told the brakes function as they should. Given that reply, I assumed that this is a side effect of ABS brakes. I am reporting this complaint now because of the recent media reports that NHTSA is investigating this type of complaint.. the date shown in "when did this happen?" is an estimate of the last time it occurred. It has occurred many times in the 10+ years that I have been driving this car. The car is owned by my employer, California farm bureau federation.
Brakes are mushy after the anti-lock brakes engage. This happened before, months ago, and the mushy feeling went away in a few days. The problem just happened again and the brakes are still mushy a day later. The first time was due to snow on the road. The second time due to moss and rain on a gravel driveway on a steep hill.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Waterford, PA, USA