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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104,000 miles · Dec 27, 2017

Electrical SystemService BrakesUnknown Or Other

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BRAKES - ON MANY OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND CITY STREET I FIND I HAVE TO PRESS THE BRAKE ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR FOR THE CAR TO FULLY STOP AND I HAVE BEEN IN MANY CLOSE CALL FENDER BENDERS. ELECTRICAL - THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL STOPPED WORKING IN ROUTE TO WORK ,SO I ASSUMED THE BULB BLEW OUT. HOWEVER, WHEN DRIVING THE CAR AGAIN THE TURN SIGNAL STARTED WORKING AGAIN. FOR THE TWO WEEKS THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL WORKED INTERMITTENTLY WHICH MADE ME VERY NERVOUS WHEN MAKING LEFT TURNS. AS OF NOW THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL IS WORKING AGAIN WITH NO INTERMITTENCE AND I DON'T KNOW IF/WHEN THE TURN SIGNAL OR SOMETHING ELSE WILL STOP WORKING OUT OF THE BLUE OR WHY THIS HAPPENED IN THE FIRST PLACE. TRUNK LEAKAGE - THE TIRE WELL IN THE TRUNK AS WELL AS THE SPARE TIRE AREA WAS FULL OF WATER AND NOT SURE WHERE THE LEAKAGE IS COMING FROM. I HAVE HAD THE CAR 9 YEARS AND DON'T RECALL WATER IN THAT AREA. AT THIS POINT I DON'T PLACE ITEMS IN THE TRUNK FOR FEAR OF IT GETTING WET ON A HEAVY RAIN DAYS HERE IN FLORIDA. VENTS - I HAD TO REMOVE THE DEFROST VENT ABOVE THE DASHBOARD BECAUSE THE LINING THAT HOLDS IT IN PLACE IS BENT AND WARPED A/C - CONTINUES TO MALFUNCTION, I HAVE HAD THE AIR SERVICED MULTIPLE TIMES AND WHEN WORKING IT'S GREAT BUT THEN THE AIR BECOMES LESS COOL AND GOES COMPLETELY HOT. THIS IS TORTURE DURING THE SUMMER.

NHTSA ODI #11056737

100,000 miles · Dec 16, 2017

Service Brakes

THIS HAS HAPPEN INTERMITINGLY DURING THE COURSE OF OWNERSHIP. LATEST DATE IS 12/14/2017, CAR HAS 100,000 MILES ON IT - ORIGINAL OWNER. IF ON SLIPPERY, OR SNOWY ROAD AND BRAKES ARE USED TO STOP, IF ABS FUNCTIONS, PEDDLE GOES LOW AND STOPPING DIFFICULT. IF PEDAL PUMPED, BRAKES BECOME FIRM AND FUNCTION OK. EVENTUALLY SYSTEM GOES BA…

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NHTSA ODI #11055049

93,000 miles · Dec 7, 2017

Service Brakes

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MY PROBLEM IS EXACTLY AS DESCRIBED IN THE OPEN INVESTIGATION NHTSA ACTION NUMBER PE16017 CALLED "EXTENDED BRAKING DISTANCE". AFTER ENGAGING THE ABS DUE TO ICY AND SNOWY CONDITIONS, MY BRAKE PEDAL BECAME VERY "SOFT" AND ALMOST GOES TO THE FLOOR. THE TYPICAL BRAKING CHARACTERISTICS ARE CHANGED DRAMATICALLY, MUCH GREATER FORCE AND DISTANCE ARE REQUIRED TO STOP THE CAR. THIS IS VERY REPEATABLE. PUMPINT THE BRAKES DID NOT IMMEDIATELY HELP, BUT EVENTUALLY THE PEDAL DID COME BACK TO THE NORMAL POSITION. DURING THE SUMMER OF 2017 I MUST HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITHOUT REALIZING IT, THE SHOP REPLACED MY MASTER CYLINDER BUT AS OF YESTERDAY IT'S OBVIOUS CHANGING THE MASTER CYLINDER DID NOT HELP. I SEE THIS AS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE, I WILL NOT LET MY DAUGHTER DRIVE THIS CAR AGAIN UNTIL THIS IS FIXED.

NHTSA ODI #11052981

150,000 miles · Nov 16, 2017

Air BagsService Brakes

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I HAVE CALLED THE DEALERSHIP FOR THE TAKATA RECALL AND THEY CONTINUE TO TELL ME THAT PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE ADDITIONALLY, LAST WINTER MY ABS BRAKING SYSTEM AFTER A SHORT SLIDE ON ICE, THE BRAKE PEDAL BECAME VERY SOFT AND REMAINS THAT WAY CURRENTLY AND I AM CONCERNED THAT IF I HAVE TO BRAKE HARD FOR A SEVERE STOP THAT IT WILL NOT STOP PROPERLY. IT HAPPENED WHEN I BRAKED ON A STREET WITH ICE, THE ABS KICKED IN AS THE TIRE SLIDE ON THE ICE, THEN AFTERWARDS THE BRAKE PEDAL HAS TO BE DEPRESSED SIGNIFICANTLY MORE TOWARDS THE FLOOR OF THE CAR THAT IT USED TO FROM THE INCEPTION OF PURCHASING THE CAR

NHTSA ODI #11046627

115,600 miles · Nov 14, 2017

Service BrakesCrashInjury

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I WAS INVOLVED IN A CAR ACCIDENT THAT SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED. I WAS DRIVING AND TRAFFIC IN FRONT OF ME STOPPED AND I ATTEMPTED TO STOP, HOWEVER WHEN I APPLIED PRESSURE AND THEN FELT MY PEDAL DROP AND GET SPONGY, I THEN HAD TO APPLY MUCH MORE PRESSURE BUT IT WASN'T ENOUGH. WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ENOUGH STOPPING DISTANCE ALMOST DOUBLED. I ATTEMPTED TO AVOID A DIRECT REAR END COLLISION AND MANAGED TO VEER OFF TO THE RIGHT AND ONLY HIT THE OTHER CAR ON THE RIGHT REAR SIDE BUMPER. I HAVE NEVER BEEN IN ANY ACCIDENT REPORTS WHERE I HAVE REAR ENDED A PERSON AND IN THIS CASE I COULD FEEL THE BREAK PEDAL DROP UNDER ME. I FILED THE ACCIDENT REPORT WITH MY INSURANCE COMPANY. THIS IS THE STATEMENT THAT I GAVE TO THEM. "P1 WAS TRAVELING W/B IN THE NUMBER 3 LANE OF US HIGHWAY 50 WITH THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC AT ABOUT 40 MILES PER HOUR ON OCTOBER 20TH 2017 AT APPROXIMATELY 6:19PM. TRAFFIC WAS MODERATE AND WAS BEGINNING TO COME TO A SLOW DOWN. P1 NEEDED TO TAKE EXIT 6B TOWARD CA-99 SOUTH IN 1.9 MILES SO I USED MY RIGHT TURN SIGNAL TO INDICATE I WAS SWITCHING FROM LANE 3 TO LANE 2. AS P1 PROCEEDED TO MERGE INTO THE NUMBER 2 LANE TRAFFIC WAS SLOWING DOWN AND I WAS ENTERING THE LANE AT 25 MILES PER HOUR. STILL TRAVELING WEST BOUND IN THE NUMBER 2 LANE JUST NORTH OF THE 59TH STREET OVERPASS, P2 WHO IS NOW DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF P1 SLAMS HIS BREAKS AND BEGINS TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. P1 WAS DRIVING ABOUT 25 FEET BEHIND P2 AT 25 MPH AND ALSO APPLIED THE FULL FORCE TO THE BREAKS. WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES I FELT A SPONGY FEELING ON MY BRAKE PEDAL, AND IT DIDN'T BEHAVE THE SAME AND I HAD TO REAPPLY MUCH MORE FORCE AT WHICH TIME IT WAS TOO LATE. I COLLIDED WITH THE OTHER VEHICLE AT ABOUT 10 MPH "

NHTSA ODI #11045871

85,000 miles · Nov 11, 2017

Service BrakesCrash

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ON OCTOBER 20, 2017 MY ELDERLY MOTHER HAD TRAVELED ABOUT 150 MILES OUT OF TOWN. WHEN TRAVELING A TWO LANE ROAD A FUNERAL PROCESSION WAS COMING THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. SHE HAD PULL THE CAR HALF WAY OFF THE ROAD WITH ONE SIDE OFF THE ROAD AND THE OTHER ON THE ROAD. WHEN EVERYONE STARTED TO GO AGAIN THE CAR IN FRONT OF HER CAME TO A SUDDEN STOP. WHEN MY MOTHER TRIED TO STOP SHE HAD NO BRAKES. SHE TRIED TO LEAVE THE ROAD TO AVOID HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF HER BUT SHE ENDED UP HITTING THE RIGHT CORNER OF THE CAR.. THANKFULLY MY BROTHER-IN-LAW WAS BEHIND HER. HE DROVE THE FORD FUSION 150 MILES USING THE EMERGENCY BRAKES FOR STOPPING HER CAR.IT WAS MOSTLY INTERSTATE MILES TO GET HER HOME. IF THE BRAKES HAD NOT FAILED UNTIL SHE WAS ON THE INTERSTATE THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A FATAL INCIDENT. HER 2007 FORD FUSION HAS 85,000 MILES. SHE LOVED THE CAR BECAUSE IT HANDLES AND RIDES SO WELL EVEN THOUGH THE DASH IS BUCKLING AND COMING APART. NOW SHE IS AFRAID OF IT. HER MECHANIC REPLACED THE MASTER CYLINDER WHICH DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO ANOTHER MECHANIC WHO REPLACED THE ABS HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT WHICH CORRECTED THE ISSUE. THIS IS A RARE PART TO FAIL AND IT IS A REAL ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI #11045374

38,000 miles · Nov 5, 2017

Service Brakes

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I MADE A PANIC STOP TO AVOID HITTING A PEDESTRIAN. THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM WAS ACTIVATED WITH THIS STOP. THE CAR STOPPED CORRECTLY. I ARRIVED AT THE NEXT INTERSECTION TO STOP AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. I ROLLED THROUGH THE INTERSECTION AND WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER. I PUMPED THE BRAKE PEDAL FOR TEN MINUTES BEFORE NORMAL BRAKE PEDAL PRESSURE WAS ACHIEVED. THE CAR WAS LATER CHECKED OUT FOR THE LOW PEDAL AND IT WAS DETERMINED TO HAVE A DEFECTIVE ABS MODULE/UNIT. I AM DRIVING THE VEHICLE WITH THE ABS FUSE REMOVED TO AVOID THIS FROM OCCURRING AGAIN UNTIL THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ABS UNIT IS MADE. THIS MUST BE RECALLED BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY BEFORE A FATALITY OCCURS.

NHTSA ODI #11043582

49,000 miles · Oct 27, 2017

Service Brakes

FROM TIME TO TIME MY ABS BRAKE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR UNEXPECTEDLY AND CAR IS HARD TO STOP. THE PEDAL STAYS SOFT FOR A PERIOD OF TIME OR DAYS AND THEN RETURNS TO IT'S NORMAL POSITION. I'VE TAKEN IT TO MY MECHANIC BUT THEY CAN FIND NOTHING WRONG. SOME THINGS NOT RIGHT AND IT SOUNDS SIMILAR TO THE PROBLEM WITH THE 2007 FUSION HY…

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NHTSA ODI #11040343

87,000 miles · Oct 18, 2017

Service BrakesCrash

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I HAVE A 2007 FORD FUSION SEL V6. THE CAR HAD 87,000 MILES. IT WAS ON THE WAY TO WORK IN THE MORNING. THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME SLOWED DOWN SO I WAS SLOWING DOWN TOO. MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE PADDLE ALL THE TIME AT THAT MOMENT. THE SPEED SLOWED DOWN FROM ABOUT 35 MPH TO ABOUT 20-25 MPH. THEN IT FELT SUDDENLY NOT WORKING. I TRIED TO PRESS THE BRAKE HARDER BUT DID NOT WORK. THE ABS DIDN'T WORK EITHER. THERE WAS NO BRAKING SOUND OR MARK ON THE ROAD. THE CAR WOULDN'T STOP. I REAR ENDED THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. WATCHED THE AIRBAG DEPLOYED. AFTER THE CRASH, THE CAR KEPT MOVING FORWARD WHILE THE FRONT CAR PULLED FORWARD. I USED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE CAR BEFORE MOVING THE SHAFT TO PARK POSITION AND TURNING THE CAR OFF.

NHTSA ODI #11034274

143,000 miles · Oct 7, 2017

Service Brakes

AFTER ENGAGING ABS, BRAKES ARE VERY SOFT AND BRAKE PEDAL NEEDS TO BE PUSHED TO THE FLOOR TO STOP THE CAR. BRAKES WERE FINE BEFORE AND AFTER INDETERMINATE NUMBER OF BRAKING ATTEMPTS BRAKES EVENTUALLY RETURN TO NORMAL. USUALLY AFTER A FEW DAYS OF DRIVING. ONLY CONSISTENT CONDITION THAT TRIGGERS THE DEFECT IS ACTIVATION OF ABS. HAS…

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NHTSA ODI #11032189

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