2008 Ford Focus: ABS light or ABS activating

5 of the 250 complaints about the 2008 Ford Focus describe ABS light or ABS activating.

owner complaints: 5
of this car's complaints: 2%
typical mileage: 90,000
recalls: 0

Is there a fix? 3 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

ABS light or ABS activating by model year

2018
1
2017
1
2016
2
2015
3
2014
8
2013
5
2012
23
2009
1
2008
5
2007
8
2005
5
2003
4
2002
1
2001
3
2000
16

What owners say

Filed Aug 31, 2020 · Brakes · 229,000 miles · CT

If you hit your brakes and the ABS activates momentarily because you hit a bump while braking or just because you hit the pedal a bit too hard, a loss of brakes occurs. The valve inside the hydraulic control unit responsible for activation of the ABS fails to close completely causing fluid bypass and no brake pressure resulting in the pedal falling to the floor. After some time, the pedal returns to normal function and the hcu valve seemingly seals be it the same drive, or a couple drives . This occurs at random, only when the correct amount of brake pressure and rough road conditions combine for the ABS to activate. However, the breaks do not return immediately, so you are forced to drive with virtually no brakes till it finally resolves on its own. This has happened in storms, where I had to stop hard due to debris in the road. This is especially problematic when exiting a highway and the exit ramp is milled, so when you are breaking and hit the grooved section the brakes disappear. This also occurs if you hit a rough patch of road or pothole while breaking. This is incredibly dangerous, with the root cause being a defective valve design in the hcu and is a common issue across the ford lineup. The issue is the problem is intermittent, hard to diagnose, and always misdiagnosed as air in the system. The root cause is a faulty hcu causing a valve to fail to seat properly and allow pressure blowby. This is going to lead to an accident because it is not predictable, and it does not recover until some time has passed. So imagine a focus exiting the highway and losing the brakes unexpectedly and for the rest of the drive - that is a disaster waiting to happen. No indication of anything abnormal in the instrument cluster, no lights. This happened again the other day and it has yet to reset itself - ford needs to fix it!! Loss of brakes from hitting a bump - so dangerous! *ln

Filed Jun 11, 2020 · Brakes · 127,000 miles · WI

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer porcaro ford (6001 washington ave, racine, wi 53406 (262) 886-5200) where it was diagnosed and determined that the ABS failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. However, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 127,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed Sep 26, 2019 · Brakes · 38,000 miles · PA

While driving vehicle will not stop. On highway and regular streets. Brake pedals applied but are pushed to the floor. To stop I pump brakes and eventually they come back. Reported problem to dealer but was told nothing was wrong. Have replaced master cylinder and brakes in the last year but problem still persists. Almost had accident yesterday and am terrified of driving car. Don't remember any recalls but have been reading other people's comments on this same problem. What is the fix for this!!! No one seems to know!!! This car still has low mileage I am the original owner of the vehicle but I had the same problems but didn't know what to do because I always took car to dealer for service and they kept saying nothing was wrong with the car. I have all of my service records and papers but sold the car to my daughter [xxx] last year and she keeps having same issues. I have told her to get rid of the car because it is not safe. I drove car for 10 years with this problem and was lucky not to have an accident but did have some close calls. At this point I want to know exactly what the problem is and how to fix it because she is a single mother with no money to be buying cars. I saw a complaint that it could be the ABS pump but the 2008 was a one year design and can't be purchased anymore, if this is the case then we are screwed. Please advise what the correct fix is if you can.[xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).' *pm

Filed Apr 20, 2018 · Brakes · 90,000 miles · TX

Abs pump is malfunctioning. Car has "soft pedal" that is not resolved by replacement of master cylinder, brake booster or thorough bleeding of the brakes (including electronic bleeding of the ABS). In addition, after about 5-10 minutes of driving, the brakes start to clamp down on the rotors without driver input. The friction is especially bad when driving at high speeds (e.g., on a highway), to the point where the car begins to vibrate from the friction. But it will also shows signs of brake drag even at lower speeds (e.g., 30-50 MPH). No ABS lights/warnings/codes came on, but mechanic (christian brothers automotive, located in houston tx area) confirmed through manual testing that ABS pump was malfunctioning. As it turns out, I am told the ABS pump for the 2008 model was a one-year design and was discontinued and cannot be purchased anywhere now. The problems all started about one year ago.

Filed May 2, 2014 · Brakes · 41,000 miles · IA

Bought this car 4 years ago with 18,000 miles on it. I have 41,000 miles on it and the ABS hydraulic pump is leaking. Cost to repair is a thousand. Not a happy camper.