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.
I had to hit my brakes to avoid a collision while driving on a city street while it was raining. Ever since, the brake pedal has gone all the way to the floor with very little pressure. The first occurrence happened in June 2017 but has been a continous and very scary issue since then. I took my car to a Ford dealership where they originally told me the master cylinder needed to be replaced. The master cylinder was replaced but I was told that the brakes were still not working correctly. Upon further investigation by the dealership, I was told the hydraulic control unit would need to be replaced. The car is currently being serviced at a Ford dealership
Takata recall: I have received 3 notices for this recall but each time it says part is not available at this time. Not only do I have to worry about my car being unsafe due to this recall I have learned this model is also having problems with brakes freezing up which has happened to me several times in the last 4 years. There is no recall on brake issues but I know there has been hundreds of complaints about this issue as well
Occasionally when the vehicle hits a bump or pot hole the brakes immediately becomes soft and loses power to stop the vehicle. It repeats itself and one has to slow it down with engine braking. After a day or two it becomes okay again. Till next time and it happens again. There seems to be apparently nothing wrong with the system, everything checks out and we are not able to duplicate the events on demand. When the brake fails it is a major safety risk and can cause collision and may result in fatalities. There are many (at least 300) reported issues very similar to what I am having. Ford has not recalled the vehicles to fix this major safety fault. By pumping the brakes we are able to stop the vehicle but it takes a longer distance to stop. Last time it happened was August 20, 2018 and stayed soft for three days and is now working fine.
Dangerous brake problem. During wet conditions brakes lock up when applying the brakes quickly. The car will shake like it is going over a high grate in the road when it is the brakes stuttering. The pedal goes to the floor and the car does not stop for at least 25 feet.I have had three near collision due to this problem. Since 2012 I have had to replace the rosters twice but it does not fix the problem. There has been thousands of complaints about this problem and something needs to be done.
While driving the vehicle the service brake pedal will randomly go to the floor. During these events there is no slowing of the vehicle just as though you haven't applied the service brakes. If you pump the brakes you can then start to slow the vehicle.
- Tulsa, OK, USA
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NHTSA action number: EA18002 the NHTSA action item listed above affects my Ford Fusion too. I lose breaking power so much that I must apply the break petal to the floor in order to come to a complete stop and this also does affects the total stopping distance.
My brakes depress all the way to the floor before stopping and scared they are going to stop working. Was told it was the ABS hydraulic brake control unit. Since then I have investigated it on the internet and see that this is a big problem. Complained to Ford & they said there was no recall or assistance at this time. If this is a big problem then it needs to be fixed immediately.
After hitting a bumpy road my brakes went to the floor and stopping power just went away. Checked at shop. All pads replaced. Fluid changed completely twice. Master cyl and hoses not leaking, now I have really weak braking system from the federally mandated system 49 cfr 571.135 - standard no. 135 that is installed in my car and cant get it repaired. Do I just throw a car I bought brand new away? mileage 88000 started now at 92000. New tires and talked to Ford house but no one will commit to any answers. Have a student trying to drive this car in college and around town. Roads are rough from drought and constantly trying to pump brakes but it makes no difference while driving. If just starting off for the day a lot of times you have good brakes until something happens and they just go away. Hard to watch road, speed people and pump brakes all the time. Lets go. Step up and do your job........... no injuries yet close calls at traffic lights.
Problem occurs when vehicle is in motion. We (two drivers) experienced intermittent braking hesitation. Usually when driving on rough pavement, and especially when turning, brakes will hesitate to activate properly. Brake pedal tends to drop near the floor before braking occurs. Have noticed approximately 20-30 feet of additional pavement distance is covered before brakes fully engage. New brake pads were installed within the last 20,000 miles, but this is believed to be an issue with a faulty ABS. We believe this is likely an issue with corrosion and/or sticky valves in the ABS unit as others have described and posted on-line.
I have a 2009 Ford Fusion sel 2.0 V6. My wife and I were travelling at highway speeds when traffic began to slow in front of us. With plenty of room to stop I began applying the brakes, but they just kept travelling until the pedal was on the floor. The car eventually stopped, but only after swerving into the narrow shoulder and narrowly missing the guard rail and stopped traffic. Since this incident the brakes are very soft and will periodically lose enough pressure to where the pedal will go all the way to the floorboard. It seems random and is very dangerous. My wife will not even drive the car anymore after our highway scare. From my reading the the zinc hydraulic control unit in the ABS systemhas a coating that turns gelatinous over time when met with brake fluid. It is a very obvious and dangerous defect that should be corrected by Ford, and has been in later models. That, in and of itself, should prompt a safety recall. I hope the NHTSA findings will help to protect our safety as consumers.
Tried to brake as usual and brakes were not as responsive and needed more pressure/time to stop. ABS light came on shortly after. Ford believes that the cause is ABS module and/or ABS hcu (ABS pump motor failure). They are unable to determine actual cause until I py $3,000 to replace each potential issue. While brakes seem to operate ok now, the car needs more time to stop. Have seen multiple complaints online w the same issue (spongy brakes, ABS module failures). I have also been unable to obtain the recall replacement for passenger side airbag as they are short on parts.
I drove over a set of bumpy railroad tracks and about a 1/4 mile down the road, when I went to stop, my brake pedal went to the floor. I still had some brake pressure to stop though. I made it to a parking lot to check for leaks but did not see any. I pumped the brakes and I got my brake pressure back and the brake pedal was back to normal.
Brakes have failed twice randomly. Coming to a stop at stop sign and stopping at yellow light (this one was scary). ABS seems to pulsate back and then pedal goes straight to floor. First time I was able to pump brakes back up and drive to dealer. They said nothing was wrong. Second time I was unable to pump back up. After sitting for an hour or so the brakes were working again. I took to dealer for second time and again, nothing wrong. Clearly there is something wrong and huge safety issue. I don't want the third time it happens to actually be a crash! very unsafe and do not understand how they say nothing is wrong.
Driving at 45 mph I had to brake over a bumpy section of paved road, my ABS activated then the brake pedal went real soft and almost to the floorboard. My braking distance increased tremendously, I almost hit another vehicle that was in front of me. No ABS warning indicator light came on before or after the incident. Brakes feel extremely weak after the incident and stiil do after pumping them many times. Approximately 82,200 miles on my 2009 Ford Fusion SE 2.3L. Did a little research and it sounds like this is a common problem for this vehicle and should be a recall on the ABS hydraulic control unit. Extreme safety concern for braking.
I was driving and needed to stop quickly on uneven pavement. When I pushed the brake pedal, it was almost like something slipped and the brakes would not catch. I then lost the pressure in my brakes and was unable to come to a complete stop. I was able to slow the car down and pump the brakes to get the pressure back. But it has not functioned the same since and the braking system is unreliable at best. I've since had brake pads, rotors, and the master cylinder replaced with not much improvement. I will be trying to replace the ABS hcu unit. I really think this needs to be a recall at this point. I drive a maximum of 10 miles most days and am not hard on my vehicle. It should not break from braking on uneven pavement.
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Fusion. While driving approximately 30 mph and attempting to make a right turn, the contact depressed the brake pedal as the front driver side wheel struck a pothole. The brake pedal traveled to the floorboard. The contact was eventually able to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to manteca Ford (555 N main St, manteca, ca 95336, (209) 239-3561) where it was diagnosed that the ABS control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 167,960.
When I apply the breaks while moving and the car hits a bump while the breaks are applied, the breaks will get very soft for a few days. The breaking power is very bad during that time, it probably triples the stopping distance required. This has happened at least a dozen times over the past 2 years.
Soft brake petal / brake petal goes to floor within 17 seconds resulting in compromised brakes and a safety hazard (all speeds and stopping situations). Seems to be a very common complaint / safety issue but still no recall or service bulletin from my understanding. I saw NHTSA is investigating, so I wanted to share I am also having issue and feel it is unsafe. Mechanic thought like most at first it was a bad master cylinder and replaced. Petal still soft so he bled brakes several times and was confident no air in system. I brought back car 3X over a year concerned the brakes feel 'abnormal/weird'. each time brakes were re-bled and he agreed they felt unusual, he felt they were ok. My young daughter drives the car daily, so being concerned I researched and pressed dealer for info and found there is a known issue with a valve sticking in the anti-lock brake hydraulic valve unit resulting abnormal internal hydraulic fluid flow and gradual pressure loss. The price for a replacement valve body is an expensive $544 at Ford and 3-hours of labor to replace. My mechanic feels this is a recall worthy safety issue and needs reported. No idiot light or code notifies driver or mechanic failure has occured and he said antilock systems should not have such pressure failure with a part issue. Without recognition from Ford, the condition is misdiagnosed and results in mechanics thinking it is probably ok when it is not safe. My daughter has driven the car in this condition for about a year now while we try to resolve and we probably did an expensive, unneeded repair. It is disappointing to learn there hasn't been a recall or warning. An $800 repair for a most likely defective part is excessive (not to mention the $350 unneeded master cylinder repair. The temptation for many will be to 'live with it' due to high cost of repair or never know.
1.takata recall. 3-5 year waiting period and yet no repair. Also, if driver airbag is takata, why no recall or replacement" 2. brakes will drop all the way to floor in emergency braking! why no recall or fix" this is life threatening problem.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Linwood, MI, USA