I am filing a formal safety complaint regarding an incomplete and dangerous repair under Ford Safety Recall 23S12 (the federal safety agency Campaign 23V162000) for my 2016 Ford Fusion SE AWD. Prior to the service, the vehicle suffered a massive brake fluid leak caused directly by the ruptured front brake hoses covered in this recall. This defect completely drained my master cylinder dry. While operating under these failed hydraulic conditions, the severe fluid loss and abnormal pedal pressure internally compromised the master cylinder seals and destroyed the internal vacuum diaphragm of the brake booster. I took the vehicle to Campbell Ford in Niles, MI to have the recall performed. The dealership replaced the brake hoses, but they flat-out refused to address or troubleshoot the dead power braking vacuum system and the rock-hard brake pedal. The service manager explicitly admitted to me that they did not run a single diagnostic test to rule out how the recall defect caused this booster failure. Instead, the dealership counter staff used the threat of an out-of-pocket diagnostic fee—which they knew I could not afford—to force me to sign a liability waiver and drive an actively unsafe, heavily compromised vehicle off their lot. The dealership fixed a leaking hose but left the catastrophic secondary damage caused by the recall completely unremedied, forcing a vulnerable driver recovering from [XXX] to operate a heavy vehicle with zero power brakes. I am requesting a federal review of this franchise's post-recall safety protocols and an immediate corporate escalation to resolve this vehicle's failure. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
2016 Ford Fusion brakes problems
137 complaints (8% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 80,000. 14 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 137
- of this car's complaints
- 8%
- typical mileage
- 80,000
- crashes
- 14
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings5
- Power assist: hydraulic: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings1
- Foundation components: disc: rotor1
- Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip: ABS warning light1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Ford Fusion brakes problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2016 Ford Fusion brakes
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles. The front brake hoses may rupture and leak brake fluid.
- Risk
- A brake fluid leak will increase brake pedal travel and extend the distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the front brake hoses, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 27, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S12.
Recall number 23V162000 · Recall details
Related investigations
Front Brake Jounce Hose Failures
On August 8, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation based on 50 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) alleging front brake jounce hose ruptures on model year (MY) 2013-2018 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles. A ruptured front brake hose results in a brake fluid leak. As a result, the driver may experience an increase in pedal travel and a reduction in the rate of deceleration, increasing the risk of a crash. It should be noted that the subject vehicles identified fell outside the scope of the federal safety agency Safety Recall 20V‑469, which addressed front brake hoses rupturing on certain MY 2015-2018 Ford Edge and 2016-2018 Lincoln MKX vehicles. The result causes a brake fluid leak, lengthening the distance needing to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.On March 10, 2023, Ford Motor Company (Ford) submitted to the federal safety agency Safety Recall 23V‑162 (Ford Recall 23S12) to address front brake jounce hoses that may rupture. Ford found the rupture occurs from a localized failure of the internal reinforcement braid due to cyclic fatigue through tensile/bending and torsional inputs during suspension and steering articulations. The supplier for the front brake jounce hoses is Hitachi. This recall affects the subject vehicles equipped with non-hybrid engines and the suspect front brake jounce hoses (a total of 1,280,726 vehicles). The recall covers subject vehicles built from February 3, 2012 to July 19, 2017 when the suspect hoses were used in vehicle production. The remedy is for dealerships to replace both front brake jounce hoses with new hoses that have a revised braid material at no cost. The vehicles equipped with hybrid engines are excluded from the recall because the internal hose pressure is much lower due to the regenerative braking provided by the hybrid brake system. No failures of brake hoses on hybrid vehicles have been reported to ODI or Ford.Ford's actions address ODIs concerns at this time. Hybrid vehicles will be monitored for related failures. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by new circumstances.The 103 ODI numbers cited above can be viewed at under the following ID numbers:11511014, 11510867, 11510318, 11509030, 11505993, 11504989, 11504400, 11502147, 11502082, 11501820, 11501283, 11498439, 11498296, 11496842, 11496335, 11494931, 11494851, 11494252, 11493001, 11492084, 11492070, 11491444, 11491274, 11488858, 11488027, 11487627, 11487416, 11487233, 11486150, 11484924, 11484526, 11484080, 11483948, 11483926, 11483739, 11483723, 11482773, 11482690, 11481077, 11480788, 11480294, 11480052, 11479338, 11479334, 11479252, 11479247, 11479187, 11479094, 11479048, 11478985, 11478953, 11478729, 11478216, 11476892, 11476282, 11470558, 11468994, 11467109, 11466294, 11462746, 11461217, 11456065, 11455367, 11444848, 11436419, 11436376, 11430685, 11428329, 11425083, 11421026, 11420738, 11420735, 11420298, 11418197, 11403926, 11397549, 11366991, 11366757, 11361016, 11359968, 11354569, 11352165, 11350344, 11348799, 11343929, 11343205, 11331947, 11329020, 11319596, 11310529, 11292271, 11288455, 11254787, 11253479, 11253244, 11234622, 11230669, 11230050, 11228240, 11221111, 11143630, 11129392 and 11120228.
RQ22004
What 2016 Ford Fusion owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
I would like to make a complaint for malpractice during a recall repair. I was notified on aug 4, 2026 that after the dealership did the recall 23S12 brake hose that during the test drive that my master seal and brake booster started to leak and needs to be replaced. They asked me if i have had any brake problems and we have not. They wanted to charge me over $1000. I declined because i had no issues prior to my vehicle going to them. They then stated they would complete the job for a little over $600. i declined. They said they reached out to Ford to see if they could cover the master seal and brake booster but they said FORD declined. However, they never asked ford. I have the OASIAS report verifying that information. They did not inform me that this is a saftey issue, they never said do not drive the vehicle, the documentation they gave me does not warn this is a issue. However, on the way home I realized I had no brakes. I assumed my vehicle would be in the same shape as i had it taken in and I would have brakes. I do not. I brought my vehicle to my home called the dealership who basically said unless i want to pay for the job in full i am on my own. I need help. I have the information on July 30 when they did the original inspection and they did a brake inpection and there is no mention of any brake issues. However, after the recall the inspection was done, they took a camera went into the brake booster and master seal. All of this was done with out informing us until it came time to pay.
The brake booster vacuum pump coupler broke off of the vacuum pump and a piece of the coupler was left stuck in the camshaft. This caused the brakes to become very stiff and hard to push down to stop the vehicle. It wasn't inspected by anyone. No warning messages or icons appeared on the dash. Car had to be towed.
The engine experienced a sudden failure that caused the vehicle to become completely inoperable. Prior to the failure, the vehicle exhibited intermittent hesitation, rough idling, and loss of power during acceleration. These symptoms began several weeks before the complete failure. No warning lamps were illuminated at first, but shortly before the breakdown, the vehicle displayed a check engine light and a “Service Engine Soon” message. While driving, the vehicle abruptly lost power and became unsafe to operate. I was forced to pull over immediately, which created a safety risk to myself and other drivers due to the sudden deceleration and inability to maintain speed in traffic. The vehicle would not restart afterward. A repair facility has confirmed that the engine has suffered a major internal failure and requires replacement. The estimated cost of repair starts upwards of $5,000. The vehicle is currently non‑drivable and remains available for inspection. The issue has been reproduced and confirmed by an independent service center. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. However, I have found multiple similar complaints from other owners reporting the same type of powertrain failure, suggesting a potential pattern or defect affecting safety.
After hitting 100,000 mile my car electronics failed and caused my steering to fail and all other safety equipment like airbags and brokering system
The entire engine/motor
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The vehicle was serviced under the federal safety agency Campaign Numbers: 23V162000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) and 19V632000 (STEERING), but the failure persisted. A month after the recall repairs were completed, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake warning light was illuminated and blinked, and the steering wheel failed to function as intended. The contact used force to veer the vehicle to the side of the road. Once the contact was able to pull to the side of the vehicle, the engine was turned off. The contact called her boyfriend, who drove to the site of the incident and assisted the contact and pushed the vehicle to the residence. The dealer was contacted and at first refused to inspect the vehicle. The contact called the dealer again, and the dealer sent a mobile mechanic to the residence. However, no cause for the failure was found. The contact was informed that a diagnostic test would be performed on the vehicle. However, the contact would be responsible for the bill. The vehicle remained at the residence unrepaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.Â
I called way scarff ford to have the safety recalls taken care. Got my appointment, stopped the car off in the morning. They kept the car for 3 days and after the 3rd day they said everything is good to go. Go there in Auburn WA couldn't find my car. Took 4 people or including myself. Then it took another half hour to 45 min to find my car. Go get in the vehicle and something doesn't seem right. Everything still felt the same. I look under the hood and find that the the recalls for the cable bushing wasn't corrected so let led me to think that the other recalls were not completed. Befote calling ford corporate to have this issue taken care of we called [XXX] in enumclaw to have this taken care of. Since the car was at way scarff my car started to act funny. Lean idle, really rough idle vibration with now a code P0299 which is the underboost. I do not think they hooked the hoses up correctly. So now my car is acting really funny. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
My vehicle has multiple active safety recalls that remain unrepaired. I have already contacted the dealership and attempted to have these issues addressed, but I have experienced delays and a lack of response. The front brake hose recall presents a serious safety risk, as it could rupture and cause a brake fluid leak, leading to reduced braking ability and increased stopping distance. Additionally, the rear view camera recall affects visibility when reversing, as the camera may display a blank or distorted image.I have already filed a complaint with the federal safety agency regarding these unresolved recalls. One of the recalls currently does not have a remedy available, and the other has not been completed despite my efforts to schedule repairs.These unresolved safety issues put me and others at risk, and I am concerned about the lack of timely action to correct them.
The vehicle is a 2016 Ford Fusion with 70,000 miles when this happened happened the first time. I pushed on the brakes and the pedal went to the floor. I had just enough braking power to stop the vehicle. The danger is obvious, I had no brakes but I was going slow on local roads. I had the vehicle towed to an independent repair shop where they diagnosed failure of the right rear brake caliper. They replaced the caliper, hoses and ceramic brake pads at a cost of about $600. All was good for about 1500 miles when the exact same thing happened, except now it was the driver's side caliper. Fortunately, once again, I was driving on local roads at low speeds and by holding the pedal totally against the floor, I was able to drive over the curb onto a lawn without hitting anyone. if I had been on an Interstate, I don't see how it wouldn't have resulted in a serious accident. I have no parts or pictures from the first failure, only the receipt for work done, but the car is in the same repair shop as I write this and I will have the failed parts and pictures when I pick up the vehicle on Monday, 12/29/25. Two brake caliper failures, with no warning, at 70,000 and 71,500 miles is a scary scenario. I have no confidence in the vehicle's safety and will be disposing it as soon as it's fixed. Your system won't allow me to put in two dates for the two failures but the first was on 01/24/25 at approximately 70,000 miles and the second was today 12/26/25 at approximately 71,500 miles. The vehicle is registered to me at the address listed on this form but I am a snowbird and the vehicle is in Naples Florida at my winter residence.
Questions about the 2016 Ford Fusion brakes
Does the 2016 Ford Fusion have brakes problems?
Owners have filed 137 complaints about the brakes of the 2016 Ford Fusion, 8% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2016 Ford Fusion brakes problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 80,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2016 Ford Fusion brakes?
Yes, 1 recall: 23V162000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Ford Fusion have bad brakes?
The Ford Fusion model years with the most brakes complaints are 2010 (548 complaints), 2008 (542 complaints) and 2009 (531 complaints).
Other 2016 Ford Fusion problems
Engine 536Transmission 311Driver assistance 183Steering 176Electrical 150Fuel system 92Airbags 50Body 50Acceleration 47Wheels 43Locks 35Visibility 26Seat belts 17Lights 16Seats 8Suspension 8Tires 4
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