Air Bags. Review the 615 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Service Brakes. Review the 126 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Power Train. Review the 74 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

58 crash reports5 fire reports38 injury reports

Service Brakes complaints

126 reports

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120,000 miles · Oct 9, 2018

Service Brakes

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DRIVING DOWN A BUMPY GRAVEL ROAD (SOME CALL IT WASHBOARD), I WENT TO APPLY THE BRAKES AND IT WAS LIKE THE BRAKES WERE NOT THERE; THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE FLOOR. I PUMPED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THAT HELPED. WE DID TAKE THE CAR TO A MECHANIC, BUT BY THAT TIME, THE BRAKES HAD COME BACK. HE COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG. ANOTHER TIME, COMING UP TO A LIGHT WHEN IT TURNED YELLOW, I BRAKED, THE ABS KICKED IN, AND INSTANTLY MY BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AGAIN. THIS WAS ON DRY PAVEMENT. I COULD NOT STOP. I MADE A RIGHT TURN JUST AS THE LIGHT TURNED RED. THE BRAKES REMAINED "SPONGY," BUT THEY CAME BACK SHORTLY AFTER THE INCIDENT. THIS LAST EXAMPLE HAS HAPPENED AT THE SAME INTERSECTION TWICE. THE LIGHT TURNS YELLOW, I BRAKE, THE ABS KICKS IN, MY BRAKE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR. THIS LAST TIME, I DROVE BACK TO THE INTERSECTION AND NOTED THAT THERE IS A DROP OR CONSIDERABLE BUMP ALONG A PAVEMENT SEAM JUST AS YOU COME UP TO THE LIGHT. ENOUGH OF A DROP THAT YOU CAN FEEL IT IN YOUR CAR AS YOU DRIVE OVER IT. BOTH OF THESE TIMES AT THE STOP LIGHT I WAS UNABLE TO STOP BEFORE THE INTERSECTION. I HAD TO PROCEED THROUGH MAKING A RIGHT HAND TURN ON A RED LIGHT. I WAS NOT OVER-DRIVING OR SPEEDING, I WAS UNABLE TO STOP BECAUSE THE BRAKE PEDAL HAD GONE SOFT. THIS LAST TIME I TOOK THE CAR TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP IN TOWN AND THEY VERIFIED THAT THE HCU TESTED BAD AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.

NHTSA ODI #11139169

69,000 miles · Oct 5, 2018

Service Brakes

THE ABS BRAKING SYSTEM ON THE CAR IS DEFECTIVE AND ESSENTIALLY HAS MADE THE CAR UNUSABLE. THE ABS MODULE IS APPARENTLY NO LONGER SOLD AND ONLY AVAILABLE FROM A SALVAGE YARD. I HAVE BROUGHT THIS VEHICLE TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR AND EVEN WITH TWO SEPARATE ABS MODULES REPLACED THE BRAKES STILL DO NOT WORK PROPERLY. THEY…

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NHTSA ODI #11133610

130,000 miles · Sep 26, 2018

Service BrakesCrash

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR IN THE CITY AND CAME TO A CURVED LANE. I STEPPED ON THE BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN SO THAT I COULD MAKE A SLIGHT TURN BUT DON'T REMEMBER THE CAR SLOWING DOWN. I THEN TRIED TO STIR THE WHEEL SO THAT I WOULD NOT CRASH. AT THIS POINT, I MIGHT HAVE OVER CORRECTED THE STIRRING WHEEL LEADING THE CAR TO SLID AS THE ROAD W…

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NHTSA ODI #11131835

160,000 miles · Sep 17, 2018

Service BrakesCrashInjury

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WHEN ATTEMPTING TO STOP MY 2007 FORD FUSION THE BRAKES WOULD LOSE FUNCTIONALITY IN VARYING DEGREES. SOMETIMES THE PEDAL WOULD GET SOFT BUT I WOULD BE ABLE TO STOP THE CAR BY PRESSING HARDER AND OTHER-TIMES THE BRAKES WOULD FAIL TO WORK ALL TOGETHER. WHEN THE BRAKES WOULD FAIL THEY WOULD REGAIN FUNCTIONALLY AFTER ABOUT 5-10 MINUTES. WHEN I INSPECTED THE BRAKE SYSTEM THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF LEAKING BRAKE FLUID OR BREAK/ROTOR WEAR. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR TO THE SHOP THE MECHANIC ASSURED ME THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH MY ABS BRAKING SYSTEM. THE FAULTY BRAKES IN MY FORD FUSION EVENTUALLY FAILED COMPLETELY WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH ON HIGHWAY I-195 WHEN TRAFFIC CAME TO AN ABRUPT STOP. I SUFFERED A LIFE CHANGING CONCUSSION IN THE RESULTING ACCIDENT AS WELL AS LOSING MY CAR AND JOB. I BELIEVE THE PROBLEM IS A FAULTY MASTER CYLINDER AS NO BRAKE FLUID IS LOST FROM THE SYSTEM. PLEASE ADDRESS THIS ISSUE THERE ARE STILL 2007 FORD FUSIONS ON THE ROAD TODAY THAT WILL EVENTUALLY CAUSE MORE SERIOUS ACCIDENTS.

NHTSA ODI #11129976

118,300 miles · Sep 11, 2018

Service Brakes

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ANY TIME THE ABS SYSTEM ENGAGES, BREAK PRESSURE IS LOST FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME, RESULTING IN LONGER STOPPING DISTANCES. USUALLY THE ONLY WAY TO GET BREAK PRESSURE BACK IS TO TURN THE CAR OFF, LET IT SIT, AND PUMP THE BREAKS HARD SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE PRESSURE IS REGAINED, SOMETIMES NOT FOR SEVERAL DAYS. I HAVE NOT YET BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THIS BUT FEEL IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME. IT FIRST OCCURRED LAST YEAR AROUND THIS TIME WHEN MY CAR WAS AROUND 116000 MILES. IT HAS OCCURRED 2 MORE TIMES SINCE THEN INCLUDING TODAY. THE MASTER CYLINDER WAS REPLACED IN AUGUST 2018 WITH NO CHANGE IN THE PROBLEM. AFTER EXTENSIVE RESEARCH AND RULING OUT OTHER POSSIBILITIES, I BELIEVE THE PROBLEM IS DUE TO THE ABS CONTROL MODULE. I KNOW THERE IS RESEARCH INTO THIS ALREADY, SO I AM ADDING MY CAR TO THE LIST OF AFFECTED VEHICLES TO ENSURE SOMETHING IS DONE ABOUT THIS PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI #11128655

180,000 miles · Sep 2, 2018

Service Brakes

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BRAKE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR, AND IS UNDRIVABLE DUE TO SAFETY ISSUES. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR MONTHS WITH THIS VEHICLE, WE HAVE SPENT SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS, NUMEROUS PARTS FOR THE ABS BRAKES AND OIL LEAKS CONTINUALLY COMING FROM THE MASTER CYLINDER. PROBLEM NEVER FIXED, SEVERAL MECHANICS COULD NOT FIGURE OUT AFTER REPLACING EVERYTHING WITH THE BRAKE LINE AND STILL BRAKE GOES TO THE FLOOR. BRAKES BLED NUMEROUS TIMES AND NOTHING IS DIFFERENT, REPLACED SEVERAL PARTS AND NO IMPROVEMENT (HCU, BRAKE BOOSTER, MASTER CYLINDER, BOTH REAR BRAKE CALIPERS). PROBLEMS STILL PERSIST. VERY UPSET, THIS CAR IS MAKING US BROKE AND STILL NO RECALL!!?? SAME PROBLEM EVERY DAY WITH THE CAR, UNABLE TO SAFELY DRIVE IT, FOR SEVERAL MONTHS NOW, NOT JUST A SPECIFIC DATE, BUT MONTHS-LONG PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR, WE HAVE A CHILD WITH AUTISM WHO NEEDS TO GET TO APPOINTMENTS AND UNABLE TO DRIVE HIM IN THIS UNSAFE CAR. ALSO AIRBAG IS A SAFETY HAZARD, WAS OFFICIALLY RECALLED, BUT NO FIX PROVIDED ITS BEEN OVER 2 YEARS SINCE WE WERE NOTIFIED. THESE ARE SERIOUS SAFETY RISKS.

NHTSA ODI #11124064

97,000 miles · Jun 27, 2018

Service Brakes

DEPRESSED BRAKE PEDAL AS I APPROACHED A PARKING SPOT AT A VERY SLOW SPEED; THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR; THE CAR DID NOT STOP. BACKED UP OFF OF A GRASSY AREA AND THE BRAKES WORKED FINE. THE BRAKES HAVE WORKED FINE SINCE THAN. CHECKING VARIOUS VEHICLE COMPLAINT SITES INDICATE THE TROUBLE IS VERY LIKELY THE ABS HYDRAULIC CONTROL MO…

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NHTSA ODI #11104229

50,000 miles · May 17, 2018

Service Brakes

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD FUSION. WHEN THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD AND THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP IMMEDIATELY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER (BILL COLLINS FORD, 4220 BARDSTOWN RD, LOUISVILLE, KY) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ABS HYDRAULIC UNIT WAS FAULTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED APPROXIMATELY SIX YEARS LATER. THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE RECENT FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.

NHTSA ODI #11096557

133,000 miles · Apr 25, 2018

Service BrakesCrashInjury

SOFT BRAKES - 2007 FORD FUSION ACCIDENT IN WHICH CAR WAS TOTALED. DRIVING ON TO ON RAMP TO INTERSTATE. CARS SLOWED IN FRONT OF US, APPLIED BRAKES AND PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR CAR WOULDN'T STOP AND WE STRUCK THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF US.

NHTSA ODI #11090017

125,000 miles · Apr 23, 2018

Service Brakes

THE ABS HCU VALVES IN MY 2007 FORD FUSION HAVE BECOME STUCK CAUSING THE BRAKES TO BECOME VERY "SPONGY" AND DRAMATICALLY INCREASE THE STOPPING DISTANCE OF MY VEHICLE. AFTER SOME RESEARCH, IT IS CLEAR THIS IS A VERY COMMON, DANGEROUS, AND COSTLY ISSUE THAT FORD WILL NOT STAND BEHIND.

NHTSA ODI #11089766

Official recalls

21V158000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module

Mar 10, 2021

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Ranger, 2006-2012 Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr, Lincoln MKZ, 2006-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, and Lincoln MKX vehicles. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver-side airbag inflator or module with an alternate one, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 9, 2021 for the passenger side, and November 14, 2022 for the driver side. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S12.

19V904000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/module

Dec 18, 2019

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2006-2010 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ vehicles. The valves within the ABS Hydraulic Control Units (HCU) may react with brake fluids containing specific corrosion preventative additives. This reaction may cause the valves to not close properly.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the valves do not properly close, additional brake pedal travel may be required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will flush the brake system with DOT 4 fluid and install a new brake fluid reservoir cap. In addition, the HCU will be tested to detect a possible stuck valve condition, replacing the HCU as necessary. All services will be performed free of charge. The recall began April 1, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S54.

17V024000 · Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

Jan 10, 2017

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012 Ford Fusion and Mustang and Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain 2009 Ford Ranger, Edge, Fusion and Mustang, Lincoln MKX, MKZ and Zephyr and Mercury Milan vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Ford is recalling certain 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ, 2005-2008 Ford Mustang and 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Interim letters informing owners of the recall and that parts are not yet available began mailing March 1, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.

16V384000 · Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

May 31, 2016

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Ford Ranger vehicles, 2006-2011 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles, and 2005-2011 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles and 2005-2008 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Any vehicle not included in "Zone A", or "Zone B" is not included in the safety recall. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Ford mailed interim letters informing owners that parts are not yet available on July 15, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

EA18002 · Extended Braking Distance

Opened Apr 18, 2018 · Closed Jan 15, 2021

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Air:antilock:control Unit/module

On April 18, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Engineering Analysis (EA) 18-002 to investigate reports of braking concerns in model year (MY) 2006-12 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ, and MY 2006-11 Mercury Milan vehicles manufactured with Continental Automotive System?s ABS hydraulic control units (HCUs). Complainants report that after an ABS braking event (initiated by slippery or uneven surfaces) the brake pedal moved towards the floor and the vehicle stopping distance increased beyond driver expectations.Inside the HCU are four hydraulic normally closed (NC) valves with zinc-coated moving armatures that control the flow of brake fluid. Unstable brake fluid can degrade over time, allow the brake fluid to gel, and corrosion to form on the armatures. The high-viscosity gelation and corrosion can cause the armatures to become stuck (open). In some cases, braking returns to normal when the armature(s) subsequently become unstuck. The intermittent condition proves difficult to diagnose with complainants reporting having (non-HCU) repairs conducted only to have the condition return.During the investigation, 14 HCUs from complaint vehicles were recovered, including seven from reported crashes. NHTSA?s Vehicle Research and Test Center (VRTC) disassembled the HCUs, removed the four NC valves in each, and confirmed 22 of the 56 NC valves contained stuck armatures. On seven of the 14 HCUs, both front wheel armatures were stuck, on nine of the 14 HCUs two or three armatures were stuck. And 52 of the 56 NC armatures exhibited corrosion of the zinc coating. Forces required to extract stuck armatures from the valve sleeve were measured to range from 1.1 to 18.0 lbs. VRTC also conducted ABS braking tests on a variety of test surfaces that showed HCU failures cause increases in pedal travel and braking distances. Testing also showed that if the driver was able to apply four times the brake pedal force and two times the brake pedal travel, then high-vehicle decelerations could be achieved, however, single or multiple wheel lockups were also occurring.Based on Ford?s response to ODI?s July 20, 2018 information request letter, and complainants' reports to NHTSA, ODI identified a population of vehicles with an elevated level of field failure compared to vehicles produced both before and after.Further evaluation of Ford?s response identified that the brake fluid used to produce these vehicles, a specific formulation of a DOT3 fluid provided by CCI Corporation between February 2006 and July 2009, differed from the brake fluid used in other vehicle populations. ODI used the correlation of fluid specification and elevated field failures to identify a vehicle population exhibiting a defect trend. The complaints, crashes and injuries cited above, and the 14 recovered HCUs involve vehicles from this population.On December 18, 2019, Ford submitted safety recall (19V-904) to remedy HCU failures on the MY 2006-2010 Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKZ, and Mercury Milan vehicles manufactured with the suspect CCI brake fluid formulation. Ford will function test the HCU and replace the DOT 3 brake fluid with an improved DOT 4 brake fluid. If the HCU fails the function test, Ford will install an HCU with a different armature coating (black oxide). HCUs with black oxide coating were fully phased into Ford?s new vehicle production by MY 2016; these HCUs do not appear to be experiencing armature corrosion. ODI notes that the non-recalled EA18-002 subject vehicles, which were manufactured with a different specification brake fluid, did not display an elevated level of field failures like the recalled vehicles.Based on available information, Ford?s rec

PE16017 · Extended Braking Distance

Opened Dec 20, 2016 · Closed May 4, 2018

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes; Service Brakes, Hydraulic; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/module

On December 20, 2016, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE) 16-017 to investigate reports of braking concerns in model year 2007 through 2009 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan vehicles.Complainants report that after an ABS braking event (caused by braking on a slippery or uneven surface) the brake pedal moved towards the floor and the distance in which the vehicle stopped increased beyond what was expected by the driver.The cause of the problem appears to be the Antilock Braking System (ABS) Hydraulic Control Unit (HCU), a component manufactured for Ford by Continental Automotive Systems.Hydraulic control valves within the HCU can experience corrosion and become stuck.In some cases, braking returns to normal when the valve(s) subsequently become unstuck.The intermittent condition proves difficult to diagnose and complainants report having several brake system components replaced only to have the condition return.ODI has identified 544 reports submitted to the agency that relate to this issue in model year 2006-2012 Ford Fusion/MKZ and MY 2006-2011 Mercury Milan, the subject vehicles.Complainants report an increase in pedal travel which in some cases resulted in going past expected stopping points or having to steer to avoid contacting another vehicle; twenty six report a crash with 3 injuries alleged.The Ford reports shown above, which are from PE16-017 and involved the scope discussed above, were similar in content and identified 7 crashes without injury.During PE16-017, ODI was able to recover HCUs from some complaint vehicles, including some from the reported crashes.The recovered HCUs were sent to NHTSA's Vehicle Research and Test Center (VRTC) in East Liberty, Ohio for evaluation.VRTC was able to confirm stuck valves and corrosion of the zinc coated control valves, and it's testing indicates that HCU failures cause increases in pedal travel that may affect braking distance.According to Ford, newer version HCUs have a different coating on the affected valves that do not currently appear to be experiencing corrosion.In it's response to ODI's information request letter, Ford described analysis of two failed HCUs removed from complainant vehicles.In both cases, a gelatinous material found inside the HCU prevented control valves from properly returning to the closed position after actuation.Ford found that an interaction between the valve coating and brake fluid was the likely source of the gelatinous material.It acknowledged that stuck valves can result in increased pedal travel but maintains the affected brake circuit will develop pressure and respond if the brake pedal is pressed sufficiently.While it has not identified an unreasonable risk to safety due to this issue, Ford states that it continues to investigate the possible causal and contributory factors including additional engineering evaluations and testing.An Engineering Analysis has been opened to assess the scope, frequency, and safety-related consequence of the alleged defect.Based on information received during PE16-017, the scope of the investigation has been increased to include another model, the Lincoln MKZ, and to expand the model years of the subject vehicles.

Additional source detail variants (4)

Service Brakes

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/module

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

EA12009 · Floor Mat Interference With Accelerator

Opened Dec 12, 2012 · Closed Jun 12, 2014

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Vehicle Speed Control; Vehicle Speed Control:accelerator Pedal

On May 27, 2014, Ford Motor Company submitted recall 14E-028 (Ford recall #14S07) to correct a safety-related problem with certain driver's side Ford optional all-weather floor mats sold for use in model year 2006 through 2011 model year Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr, and Lincoln MKZ vehicles built at Hermosillo Assembly Plant (HAP) from November 9, 2007, to October 31 ,2010.NHTSA testing determined that the original accessory all-weather mat with a single retention clip (Figure 1), may interfere with accelerator pedal return to idle with the mat retained by the clip and rotated clockwise.Both the single- and double-clip (Figure 2) all-weather floor mats may interfere with the accelerator pedal return to idle when the mats are not secured by the retention clip(s).Testing showed that this can occur if the mats are moved forward from the clipped position approximately two inches into a position in which the rear edge of the mats will abut the retention clip(s) when installed singly and align with the clip(s) when stacked on another floor mat.The pedal interference incidents reviewed by the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) include 1 crash and 9 incidents with allegations of brake friction materials smoking and/or requiring repair for heat related damage.The crash incident occurred after the parking brake was applied at speed, resulting in loss-of-control vehicle yaw event caused by lock-up of the rear tires.The spin-out resulted in a side impact collision with an oncoming vehicle in an opposing lane of traffic. For the 29 incidents with sufficient information available to make an assessment; 23 (79%) were controlled by the driver either shifting to neutral, turning the engine off, or both; 4 (14%) were ended by the driver either kicking the pedal free (2) or pulling the mat away from the pedal (2); and 2 (7%) were ended by the pedal freeing itself from the mat with no apparent driver action.None of the drivers who reacted to the incident by shifting to neutral or turning the engine off reported any difficulties with either action.The subject mats were sold by Ford and Lincoln dealers directly to customers as an optional accessory equipment item or, beginning in November 2007, the mats were also available as a factory installed accessory if ordered with a new vehicle.Ford estimates that approximately 82,579 affected driver's side all weather floor mats were sold worldwide; either over the counter through Ford dealerships or as original equipment.Owners that purchased the subject all-weather floor mats as a factory installed accessory with their new vehicle will be notified to return their all weather floor mats to their Ford or Lincoln Dealership in exchange for replacement mats.Owners of all other potentially affected vehicles will be notified that, if they have an affected Ford driver's side all weather floor mat, they should return their mats to the dealership in exchange for replacement mats.The VOQs associated with the closing of this investigation are: 10327597, 10332233, 10334211, 10335336, 10339330, 10348772 (and duplicate 10342572), 10372674, 10379562, 10415911, 10426255, 10434107, 10521053, 10554966.This investigation is hereby closed.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Vehicle Speed Control:accelerator Pedal

Vehicle Speed Control

PE08060 · Tire Valve Cracking

Opened Oct 14, 2008 · Closed Apr 9, 2009

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Tires:valve

ON OCTOBER 14, 2008, ODI OPENED PE08-060 TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF CRACKED AND LEAKING SNAP-IN TIRE VALVES IN MODEL YEAR (MY) 2007 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY.THE VALVES WERE SUPPLIED TO FORD BY TOPSEAL AUTO-PARTS, A SUBSIDIARY OF THE SHANGHAI BAOLONG AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION IN CHINA.VALVES MADE BY TOPSEAL FOR AFTERMARKET SALE WERE THE SUBJECT OF TWO RECENT SAFETY RECALLS BY TECH INTERNATIONAL (08T-018) AND DILL AIR CONTROLS (08T-028), THE LATTER OF WHICH WAS INVESTIGATED BY ODI IN PE08-036 AND EA08-022.THE DEFECT CONDITIONS ADDRESSED BY THE AFTERMARKET TIRE VALVE RECALLS BOTH INVOLVED INADEQUATE RESISTANCE TO OZONE CRACKING DUE TO ISSUES WITH THE SUPPLY OF ANTI-OZONANT CHEMICALS TO TOPSEAL FOR A PERIOD FROM JULY TO MID-NOVEMBER 2006.THE AFTERMARKET VALVES WERE COMPOUNDED WITH A BLEND OF EPDM AND NATURAL RUBBER, USING A RELATIVELY LOW PERCENTAGE OF EPDM (EPDM PROVIDES INHERENT RESISTANCE TO OZONE CRACKING).HENCE, THE NEED FOR ANTI-OZONANT CHEMICALS AND THE PROBLEMS WITH CRACKING WHEN THOSE CHEMICALS WERE MISSING OR OUT OF SPECIFICATION IN SOME LOTS OF VALVES.BOTH RECALL CAMPAIGNS INVOLVED INSPECTION PROGRAMS TO IDENTIFY AND REPLACE VALVES WITH VISIBLE SURFACE CRACKING.ALTHOUGH THE TOPSEAL VALVES SUPPLIED TO FORD ALSO APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY THE ANTI-OZONANT SUPPLY ISSUES IN MID TO LATE-2006, FORD INDICATED THAT ITS VALVES WERE MADE AT A DIFFERENT TOPSEAL PRODUCTION LINE AND WERE COMPOUNDED WITH A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF EPDM RUBBER TO MEET MORE STRINGENT SPECIFICATIONS FROM FORD.ODI'S ANALYSIS OF COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY DATA PROVIDED BY FORD SHOWED THAT PROBLEMS WITH CRACKED TIRE VALVES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER FOR MY 2007 VEHICLES PRODUCED FROM DECEMBER 2006 THROUGH MARCH 2007.FORD RESPONDED BY IMPLEMENTING CHANGES IN ITS MATERIAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR SNAP-IN RUBBER TIRE VALVES AND ALSO INCREASING THE QUALITY AND ACCEPTANCE STANDARDS FOR VALVES IMPORTED FOR USE IN ITS VEHICLES.WHILE THE COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY CLAIM RATES ARE ELEVATED FOR SUBJECT VEHICLES PRODUCED FROM DECEMBER 2006 THROUGH MARCH 2007, THE RATES OF LEAKING VALVES ARE WELL BELOW ONE PERCENT OF PRODUCTION FOR EACH OF THE PEAK MONTHS FOR ALL OF THE AFFECTED MODELS.A SUBSTANTIAL MAJORITY OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLES ARE EQUIPPED WITH TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEMS (TPMS) WHICH WARN THE DRIVER WHEN ANY TIRE PRESSURES DROPS BELOW 25 PERCENT OF RECOMMENDED INFLATION PRESSURE. AS OUTLINED IN A LETTER TO ODI DATED APRIL 6, 2009, FORD HAS AGREED TO SEND LETTERS TO OWNERS OF CERTAIN MY 2007 AND 2008 FORD, LINCOLN AND MERCURY VEHICLES TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CRACKING CONCERN. LETTERS WILL BE SENT TO OWNERS OF VEHICLES BUILT FROM NOVEMBER 2006 THROUGH MAY 2007.OWNERS CAN OPT FOR A FREE DEALER INSPECTION.VALVES EXHIBITING SURFACE CRACKS OR AIR LEAKAGE RELATED TO OZONE ATTACK WILL BE REPLACED BY FORD UNDER ITS NORMAL WARRANTY TERMS.FORD EXPECTS TO SEND THE LETTER BY APPROXIMATELY MID-MAY 2009. BASED ON THE USE OF TPMS IN THE MAJORITY OF SUBJECT VEHICLES AND THE RELATIVELY LOW RATES OF REPAIRS ASSOCIATED WITH LEAKING VALVES AND RESULTANT TIRE DAMAGE, ODI BELIEVES THAT THE ACTIONS FORD HAS AGREED TO TAKE WILL PROVIDE EFFECTIVE AND EXPEDITIOUS RESOLUTION FOR VEHICLES THAT WERE BUILT DURING THE PERIOD WHEN VALVES WITH INADEQUATE RESISTANCE TO OZONE CRACKING WERE MOST LIKELY TO HAVE BEEN USED IN VEHICLE PRODUCTION.FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF THIS MATTER WOULD NOT BE AN EFFICIENT ALLOCATION OF AGENCY RESOURCES.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST.THE AGENCY WILL CONTINUE TO