While driving straight on an asphalt street (no unusual road surface conditions that I can recall) I braked hard to avoid a vehicle that ran a stop sign immediately in front of me. Since then any time I press on the brakes they are spongy for the majority of the press down and the stopping distance is increased. The reduced braking of the car is even, it doesn't pull to one side or the other. There don't appear to be any problems with the brakes at the wheels and the problem is evidently symptomatic of a problem with the anti-lock braking system.
2009 Ford Fusion brakes complaints
Page 11 of 19: complaints 281 to 310 of 531, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Takata recall I was in a wreak because the brakes in the floor when I was driving in the rain on the highway. The air bag in the steering wheel came out.
For the last few months I have had intermittent problems with my braking system. Many times, when I would apply the brakes as I was going over uneven surfaces or gravel, the ABS system would engage and the brake pedal would lose pressure. During this time I would have to apply a much greater force to the pedal to get the car to stop. Almost every time this would happen, I would not stop where I was intending to, but would go by my intended target. Until today, this has not caused problems. However, today, I was traveling at a speed of approximately 25mph as I was going down a hill and approaching a turn. As I was applying the brakes the ABS system engaged unexpectedly, the pedal lost all pressure and went straight to the floor, and the car was not slowing down at all. I lost control of the vehicle, went over a curb, hit an embankment and finally came to a stop. I had the vehicle looked at, immediately, by my local mechanic. He told me that the general braking system seemed to be in good working order (pads, rotors, calipers, hoses, pressure, master cylinder, etc...) he mentioned that this model of vehicle had some problems with the ABS systems and recommended that I take it to my local ford dealer. I have an appointment with them this week. In the meantime, I researched the ABS issue he mentioned and found the open investigation into exactly my problem. This is another complaint showing that this problem is very real and quite dangerous. The federal safety agency action number: pe16017
After the ABS kicks in brake pedal becomes soft brake pedal goes to the floor brakes remain soft after engaging ABS
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 ford fusion. While the brake pedal was depressed, the vehicle failed to come to a complete stop. The contact applied excessive force to the brake pedal. The contact was concerned of a future injury. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the rear passenger side caliper and brakes needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was then taken back to the independent mechanic where the ABS modulator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided case number: cas13938410. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000.
The ABS system is faulty, the brakes lock up when on the least amount of ice or snow and now the pedal requires pumping or it will go to the floor. It used to correct itself but now seems to be permanent. While I have been able to stop the car I am concerned about my safety, what if it stops working at all? If can happen from any speed.
Driving 55 mpd, then went to turn and no brake response after pushing pedal after ABS engaged, nearly went off the road, continued to have to push pedal all the way to floor to get any response; went away after car restarted for now; dealer said needs ABS hydraulic control unit replaced
After hitting a rough area on the road, my brake pedal went all the way to the floor. It never corrected itself. That was a few years ago and the pedal still goes to the floor every time I press the brakes. Also, the dash where the air bag is, is severely bubbled.
Brake pedal went to the floor while braking. This happened three (3) times while the wife was driving the car; had a hard time stopping. Twice in 2017 and once in 2018. The events happened while trying to stop for a stop sign on city streets.
Takata recall. The brakes seem to not be fixable. I have replace brake pads, master cynlinder, flushed out break fluid, bled brake. Brake are still not working properly. If I hit a bump at a pretty good speed, the brakes get worse and then I have to push the pedal all the way to the floor and still doesn't really slow down. I have spent a lot of money on getting these brakes repaired and still not working properly. I hit on brakes to pull over and I hit a bump on the side of the road and brakes stopped working properly again. I don't know what else to do. I have had ford dealership inspect brakes and they said I need to replace master cylinder. I replaced it and no change.
Brake pedal is soft after ABS activated resulting in unexpectedly increased stopping distance. I recently had the mast cylinder replaced to fix this, but the problem persists. After several hard pumps of the pedal, it's firmness is restored.
Hit patch of ice and had ABS system engage. Immediately afterwards the brakes became soft and wouldn't engage until the pedal was almost to the floor. Car has 70k miles on it.
Issue happened 4 times in last year and a half. Slight skid twice on wet pavement, once on stone driveway, and once on wet metal sensor plate leading into toll booth. All 4 times were at low speed. Two times I was turning. Two times I was just slowing to a stop. Brake pedal went soft and braking distance increased. Soft pedal gradually improved over a period of weeks, but still felt softer than it should be and I questioned the reliability. The first time it happened, I took to a mechanic who couldn't find anything wrong. The last time I took to a ford dealership, told them the symptoms, and asked them to check the hcu for the ABS. They told me the master cylinder was shot and had to be replaced and they could only check the hcu afterwards, which turned out to be faulty. So they ended up replacing both the master cylinder and the hcu. The bill was $2000 but the brakes now feel like they are supposed to.
Driving in light snow approx. 20 MPH, stopping at a stop sign pedal went to floor and remained soft, pumping pedal brought it up again slightly but stopping is very slow. After not moving it for a day, pedal came back up and seemed fine. Second time this has happened in 6 months. It is now in the repair shop as I feel it is unsafe to drive. Mechanics have said it is mechanical either master cylinder or ABS valve but there is no test to determine what the problem is according to ford mechanics. There are only 73000 miles on the car. Seems this happens when it is wet or snowing and it is random when it happens, however once the pedal goes to the floor it does not come back up to normal until after the car sits for a day. This is a very expensive repair and if it turns out to be the valve there is a 3 day wait to get the part, in the meantime I am forced to rent a car also. I have heard that ford is well aware of this issue but is not addressing the situation or taking responsibility for poor design and engineering. In the meantime the consumer is forced to either pay for the repair or get rid of an unsafe car.
During a braking event on a snowy, slippery surface, my ABS was activated. I was slowing down from ~50mph to 0mph in order to make a turn. After my ABS activated during the initial application of the brake, my pedal became soft and I can now press it all the way to the floor. Due to this increased brake pedal travel, it takes me a significantly longer distance/time to slow my car down. If I were to apply the brakes normally, I would not be able to stop in time and could end up in an intersection or in an accident. This has happened once before and my brakes were bled to 'address' the issue. The issue now has reoccurred after another ABS event. These incidents are similar to what is described in the open the federal safety agency investigation pe16-017.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 ford fusion. The contact stated that when she had to abruptly apply pressure to the brake pedal, the vehicle did not stop. There were no warning indicators illuminated before or after the failure. Ford lincoln of columbia (115 s james campbell blvd in columbia, tn) diagnosed the failure, but the results were not available. The vehicle was not repaired in the past; reported problem but ford couldn't duplicate issue. But the failure recurred. Seems to be a failure with the ABS sensor. Slowing down, hit bumper press suddenly harder on brakes ABS pedal goes down to floor, car speeds up! Currently contact is not driving the car. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000. *bf
Everything described in investigation pe16017 happened to my fusion this year. The first incident occurred when the ABS kicked in while driving in motion on a wet road. Immediately after the brakes were mushy - almost to the floor. Pumping the brakes restored hydraulics, and the problem did not reoccur until 12/24/17. That night the ABS kicked in multiple times while moving on a snowy / icy road. Brakes went mushy and almost to the floor. Pumping the brakes restored hydraulics but only temporarily. If I let off the brakes for any amount of time, the next press of the brakes results in the same thing occurring. Mechanic says the ABS requires a computer reset to resolve and that this may occur every time the ABS kicks in. I did not have an accident but it would be easy to rear end someone since you expect pressure much sooner than happens.
Once the ABS mode is activated from a hard braking the front wheel locks up leaving no braking available until the fusion is almost stopped. Once the vehicle has slowed significantly the locked wheel releases and brake function returns to normal. The dealership that sold the vehicle did replace the master cylinder but it made no difference once hard braking was applied. This situation gets worse during inclement weather allowing the front wheel to lock up much easier and quicker. It worries me that this is their only vehicle and they always have their 3 children with them.
The bakes got very soft/non-responsive when the brake pedal is pushed after they had been applied aggressively to avoid an accident. Traveling at 45 MPH on a city street at an intersection. Dealer said it was a known problem and that it would be around $1,500 to get it repaired. Where is the responsibility of the manufacture and government regulations (that we pay for dearly) in making the manufacture responsible for cheap built & not to specification's in the replacement of the malfunctioning ABS. Still driving as is hoping & crossing the fingers each time it is driven.
Spongy brake pedal after ABS is triggered. Issue lasts several days to several weeks. Longer than expected braking distances. Need to push the pedal almost to the floor to get the car to stop.
The road was wet, and during a hard stop going down hill, the brakes shook, went to the floor and became spongy afterwards. This has happened to me several times, usually in the rain or after driving over a bump or pothole. The most recent time before today, the brakes were spongy for months before returning to normal responsiveness. The open investigation "pe 16-017" perfectly describes my problem.
2009 ford fusion - brake system: I have been having trouble with my vehicle for over a year. When the anti-lock brake system (ABS) engages while my car is in motion due to sudden stops, braking on wet surface, crossing uneven surface (railroad tracks) while braking, or maintaining speed while crossing a pothole my brakes become "spongy" immediately after. The brakes feel as if the brake pedal lost pressure requiring me to press my brake all the way to the floor. This has increased my stopping distance and has become a safety concern. These occurrences happened on a city street and/or highway and has happened going straight or turning. The speeds in which my ABS has engaged occurred at or below the speed limit of the road I was on (I.e. 15 MPH to 70 MPH). At first, I would pump the brakes and my brakes would return to normal within an hour or so. It has gotten worse over the year or so and currently my brakes do not return to normal and are still in the "spongy" state. Last month I had my master cylinder replaced and I thought that had fixed the problem up until yesterday when my ABS engaged again crossing train tracks while decelerating. My brakes are currently in the "spongy" state due to yesterdays event. I am uncertain to what the cause of the problem is but can speculate from online forums that it could be the hydraulic control unit. Please contact me if you need any additional information. I do not currently have my invoice from the master cylinder replacement with me but can obtain it if needed once I get home.
Driving car in inclement weather. Was going forward ( straight) on a local road with a downhill grade at a speed of approximately 15 MPH. Used brake to maintain speed as I was going down the hill. The ABS engaged briefly as expected due to snow on the road. Removed foot from brake briefly but when I stepped on the brake again to stop at the stop sign the brake did not engage as it usually does but instead went almost all the way to the floor before engaging. Stopping distance was significantly longer that usual. If I had not allowed extra stopping distance as a precaution due to the weather I would have driven through the stop sign on to a busy road. Once stopped I turned left onto a flat straight road. As I drove forward going approximately 25 MPH I tested the brakes 4 additional times over a distance of approximately a mile and a half. Each time the brake petal went almost to the floor before it engaged. When it did engage it took much longer to slow the car down. I pulled into a flat parking lot and called a family member to check the area where the car was parked for evidence of a brake fluid leak. There was none. I kept the car running for approximately 10 - 15 minutes thinking the issue might be related to the cold ( it was about 20 degree fahrenheit). After allowing the car to run I tested the breaking again by accelerating and stopping in the parking lot. The brakes appeared to be working as usual. I am having the vehicle towed to the dealership as I feel it is unsafe to drive.
3 times in the last 2 months, my car's ABS has engaged and I lost most braking ability afterwards. Twice it happened while running over manhole covers while slowing, when ABS shouldn't have gone off. Once was in snow, during gently braking which also shouldn't have engaged it. After each time, the brakes were immediately extremely soft and spongey, going all the way to the floor before working. Once I actually coasted thru the stop sign and ended up in the road before being able to stop, thankfully no one was coming. When we bled the brakes, they would be firm and normal again, until the next time ABS engaged. Research and mechanic says it's likely the ABS hcu, an expensive repair that we cannot afford. My research also turned up that this is a common problem in these years of fusion, and that there is an open investigation into it: pe 16-017. Please consider recalling these cars and fixing the units! The alternative to not being able to fix it is to pull the ABS fuse, making the ABS inactive, and that is not safe. But it is what I would guess most of us will do, as we're not driving 8-10 yr old cars because we're well-off financially, and a $1200 repair is a significant portion of the car's value. My car has 109,000 miles if it matters. Thank you for your consideration.
I lose brake pressure after the ABS is activated on slippery roads or uneven/bumpy roads while turning. Once the ABS activates and stops, the brakes seems to not to fully recover where the pedal has to go to the floor to get minimal brake pressure and it takes a longer distance to stop.
Abs engaged while braking on icy road. After that brakes were mushy and could barely stop. Was very scared to drive for fear I wouldn't be able to stop.
Last week I was braking for a red light downtown in the city where I work when I went over a large bump in the road. The ABS briefly kicked on, followed by the pedal dropping to the floor from a complete loss of brake pressure. This caused me to continue past the red light and through the intersection. Luckily no one else was in the intersection at the time. After frantically pumping my brakes repeatedly, I finally regained a little brake pressure about a half a block from where the incident occurred. My brakes remained very mushy, however, for six days until yesterday. I went over a large pothole in a city street as I was preparing to turn into my neighborhood when suddenly, I completely regained all braking pressure. This is not the first time this has happened. Something similar has happened at least three different times that I can recall over the past three years. Once, I was braking on a busy bridge during rush hour and hit a patch of ice, causing me to lose braking pressure and narrowly avoid a rear end collision. Another instance occurred when I had to make a hard brake on a bumpy highway while it was raining. The pedal again dropped to the floor, causing me to veer across a lane of oncoming highway traffic and into a parking lot before I could get it to stop. The most recent instance before the incident last week happened on a clear day when I was braking over a rough patch of city street. All instances resulted in a loss of pressure, the brake pedal dropping to the floor, and mushy brakes for a period of time afterward. The last instance made me fear for my safety, especially after realizing this is a continuing pattern. I am filing this formal complaint in hopes that something can be done before someone is seriously injured or killed as a result of this malfunction.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 ford fusion. While driving 35 MPH, the brakes failed when the brake pedal was depressed. The contact stated that the brake pedal traveled all the way to the floorboard and had to be pumped several times until the brakes engaged. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but the failure was unable to be duplicated. The contact stated that the control module was replaced, which was unrelated to the brakes. Several days later, while the contact's son was driving 40 MPH, the brakes failed once again. The driver had to pump the brakes several times until they engaged. As a result, the contact's son rear ended another vehicle. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The contact stated that north brothers ford (33300 ford rd, westland, mi 48185, (800) 586-4203) was contacted and stated that there were no recalls. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Driving in snow, aprroximately 25 MPH. Braked hard enough to engage ABS. Brakes are now spongy and go all the way to the floor before engaging. Very dangerous. Happened a couple years ago as well, but resolved itself within a day, so I did not research it. After researching this time, 99% sure it's a faulty hcu and there have been 140+ complaints regarding this problem. Ford needs to do the right thing!
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 ford fusion. While driving, the brake pedal was depressed and traveled to the floorboard. The contact mentioned that the vehicle stopped, but it was very minimum stopping action. In addition, while the vehicle was parked for an hour, the contact had to pump the brake pedal in order for the vehicle to function properly. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 68,500.
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