2016 Ford Transit Connect: ABS light or ABS activating

Filed Sep 16, 2025 · Brakes · IN

The brakes suddenly locked up while I was driving which could have caused an accident. Luckily it did not cause me to swerve into oncoming traffic and no one was behind me at the time. This was caused by the ABS unit hydraulic control assembly. It was the right front and left rear calipers locking. My vehicle only has 44,401 miles on it. The diagnosis has been confirmed at the dealer. There are other 2016 Ford Transit connect models that have had a safety recall for this specific component, but mine is just outside of the vehicle recall time period by a few months. It was manufactured at the same plant. Additionally, I wanted to add that there were no warning lights, though I noticed a very slight drag when first accelerating (a few days prior) but didn't think much of it. I wondered if I was just imagining things. It wouldn't have been noticeable to someone who wasn't used to driving it. I contacted Ford and they would not provide any assistance other than me having to start a case (in other words, I have to spend $2,100 to get it fixed at the dealer; also I can't get it fixed anywhere else because the dealer has to program it.)

Filed Oct 22, 2024 · Brakes, Engine · 33,000 miles · NJ

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated that the ABS warning light was illuminated. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle stalled. There was smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the brakes and calipers needed to be replaced. While the mechanic was test driving the vehicle, the vehicle stalled. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called another local dealer, Wayne Ford (444 US-46, Wayne, NJ 07470); but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.

Filed Dec 18, 2023 · Brakes, Electrical · 70,000 miles · FL

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated that while initially starting the vehicle and while driving at various speeds, the main computer screen displayed the “Hill Stop Assist Not Available" and "Parking Assist Not Available" messages. The check engine and ABS warning lights were illuminated. The speedometer, power steering, and several other unknown messages were displayed intermittently. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer after the original failure and was diagnosed and determined that the front passenger’s side wheel position sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic after the second failure, and it was determined that the same front passenger’s and driver’s side wheel position sensors had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the steering wheel position sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

Filed Dec 26, 2022 · Brakes · MA

The ABS control/hydraulic unit failed over a period of months. At first I thought it was a master cylinder issue and replaced that but it did not cure the problem. My wife had an issue several times where she thought the transmission was acting up but I could not replicate it, until the brakes really started to lock up. It got to the point where the brakes would stay locked up after any application and would slowly release after five to fifteen minutes. I had the dealership look at it and explained what I had found. If you cracked the metal brake line to hose connection at the right front and left rear, the brakes would release. The dealer did not agree with me, they wanted to replace the entire base braking system. I pulled it out of the dealer and took it to an independent repair shop. The part is presently in the hands of the repair garage but has a core charge on it. The component has not been inspected by anyone. No warning lamps appeared at any time.

Filed Nov 3, 2022 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 20,000 miles · NC

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated that while driving at an undetermined speed, the ABS, stability control, and traction control warning lights illuminated. There was an abnormal dinging sound detected. The brakes, power steering and speedometer became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to duplicate the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 16V482000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic, Electronic Stability Control). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.