NHTSA Probes 2007-2009 Ford Fusions for Brake Issues

[Ford Fusion News]

U.S. regulators are investigating certain 2007-2009 Ford Fusions and Mercury Milans due to complaints of poor braking behavior.

A total of 141 complaints have been filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. After braking on a slippery or uneven surface where ABS is needed, the brake pedals may go soft, and drivers may have to use more force than usual to stop the vehicle. Drivers have reported unexpected increases in stopping distances, and some say they haven’t been able to stop in time for red lights or stop signs. There have been reports of three crashes related to the braking problem, but no injuries or fatalities so far.

NHTSA blames the antilock braking system hydraulic control unit for the sudden loss in brake pedal pressure. “It is believed that the ABS HCU experiences an internal malfunction which causes an inability to maintain required braking pressure,” NHTSA documents say.

Some reports claim the issue corrects itself, but will reoccur if the vehicle encounters another ABS type braking situation. Others say replacing the ABS HCU has fixed the problem.

For now, NHTSA is examining the problem, but the probe could eventually lead to a recall. An estimated 474,862 vehicles are affected by the Ford investigation.

 

[SmokeyB203]

We received the notice of a future recall in early February 2020. Two weeks later my wife was driving in local stop and go traffic. She stepped on the brake and nothing happened. She ran into the car in front of her damaging both vehicles. The brake did engage but it has to be almost to the floor for that to happen. I had it towed to the dealer who told me the recall would not happen until July and there was no replacement part yet. Carriage Ford said they would call me when the issue could be resolved. I had the damage repaired but the car is still setting in their lot waiting for a fix, six months later. I reported this to the NHTSA and they said, "No big deal, sorry about your luck." The Ford Customer Service Rep was of no use at all. Of course, when it is repaired I plant to sue Ford for lost use and expenses but does anyone have any idea when the recall notice will be issued? (FYI - when the repairs were completed and I had to pay the deductible, the dealer told me that they had just repaired another 2009 Fusion that had been in a much worse accident.) This kind of reminds me of the Ford Pinto exploding fuel tank issue where they decided it was cheaper to pay victims than to fix the issue.