2007 Ford Taurus

Severely rusted brake line to the driver side real brake ruptured and caused loss of brake function and emptying of the single brake fluid reservoir. I cannot currently find the ruptured line segment, but a portion of the other rear brake line was similarly rusted prompting preventative repair. Fortunately, my wife was driving at low speed and was able to maneuver the car into a parking spot. An employee at the O'Reilly store where I bought replacement parts thought the state of the ruptured line meant that it came from a 1980s model vehicle rather than a 2007 model. No one in an official capacity has inspected the brake line. My wife did not report nor have I observed any brake warning lamps during my repairs (the brake lamp does illuminate when the parking brake is engaged). Rusting occurred due to trapped road debris in a brake line support tray under driver's seat. I will include a photograph of the removed tray and a brake line portion that came from it. Close inspection of the photograph can see the debris and rust in the tray and significant rust on the non-failed brake line also restrained in it. I will also include a (scanned) receipt from O'Reilly documenting the repair parts and date.

WHILE STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT (DEPRESSING THE BRAKE), THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD AND RPM KEPT HIGH. RPM WENT TO NORMAL IN FEW SECONDS. IT OFTEN HAPPENS (1 OF 10 TIMES DEPRESSING BRAKE), YESTERDAY MORNIG THE CAR LOST POWER ON FREE WAY (VECHICLE SPEED WAS NOT ABLE TO PASS 40 MPH), IT BACKED NORMAL IN THE AFTERNOON. SENT THE CAR TO GARAGE, IT CAN BE REPEATED BY SHIFT TO D, DEPRESSING BOTH GAS AND BRAKE PEDALS, QUICKLY RELEASE GAS PEDAL.

(SENT TO FORD) THIS LETTER SERVES TO INFORM YOU OF A SERIOUS MECHANICAL DEFECT. I DRIVE A 2007 FORD TAURUS SEL [XXX] WITH APPROXIMATELY 162,500 MILES. THE CAR IS IN GOOD SHAPE AND HAS REGULAR MAINTENANCE. WE ALSO OWN A FORD MUSTANG, FORD FOCUS, AND FORD F-150. WE HAVE BEEN REGULAR FORD CUSTOMERS FOR YEARS. TODAY I DROVE MY CAR ON THE INTERSTATE FOR A FEW MINUTES BEFORE SOMETHING WAS APPARENTLY VERY WRONG. I SPED UP TO MERGE WITH TRAFFIC AND SUDDENLY THE CAR CONTINUED ACCELERATING, EVEN WITH MY FOOT OFF THE GAS. I USED THE BRAKE TO SLOW DOWN A BIT, BUT IT WOULD NOT SLOW DOWN ENOUGH. FROM THERE I BEGAN HAVING A PANIC ATTACK. I WASN'T SURE IF I COULD GET OUT OF TRAFFIC WITHOUT HITTING SOMEONE AND OFF THE EXIT RAMP. WITHOUT GOING INTO ALL THE DETAILS, I MANAGED TO USE THE EXIT LANE AND SOMEWHAT SAFELY STOP THE CAR AT AN ABANDONED GAS STATION. UPON TRYING TO BRING THE CAR TO A FULL STOP, I USED THE PARKING BRAKE AND PUT THE CAR IN PARK. THE ENGINE ROARED AND THE RPMS SKYROCKETED TO 4,000 BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO TURN THE CAR OFF. HAD THIS NOT BEEN A MONDAY EARLY AFTERNOON WITHOUT MUCH TRAFFIC ON A SUNNY DAY, I DON?T KNOW IF THIS STORY WOULD HAVE ENDED AS WELL. I TRULY FEARED FOR MY LIFE AND THOSE ON THE ROAD WITH ME. IT IS CLEAR AFTER THE FACT THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL LINKAGE CAME OFF. (I HAVE NEVER USED THE CRUISE CONTROL IN THIS CAR, INCLUDING TODAY.) LOOKING AT THIS I CANNOT IMAGINE HOW FORD COULD DESIGN SOMETHING SO CLEARLY DESIGNED TO FAIL. WHEN THE GAS IS PUSHED, POSSIBLY IN EXCESS TO ENTER A BUSY INTERSTATE, THE PLASTIC ASSEMBLY IS PUSHED TO THE POINT THAT IT WILL EVENTUALLY FAIL. I DEMAND A FULL INVESTIGATION OF THIS SO THAT NO ONE ELSE'S LIFE WILL BE ENDANGERED AS MINE WAS TODAY. I HAVE YET TO FULLY RECOVER THIS HIGHLY EMOTIONAL EVENT. I WOULD APPRECIATE A COPY OF YOUR INVESTIGATIVE FINDINGS. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

ON JULY 10, 2017 I WAS PROCEEDING WITHIN THE SPEED LIMIT ON A CITY STREET. I NOTICED A LINE OF STOPPED CARS SOME DISTANCE AHEAD OF ME. I ATTEMPTED TO APPLY MY BRAKES, BUT IT SOON BECAME EVIDENT THAT THAT THEY WERE NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. THUS, MY RATE OF SPEED WAS NOT BEING SUFFICIENTLY REDUCED. I PUMPED THE BRAKES, BUT TO NO AVAIL. I THEN APPLIED A GREAT DEAL OF PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL, BUT IT MEEKLY SUNK TO THE FLOOR. BY THE TIME I WENT FOR THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, AND I COLLIDED WITH THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME AT A LOW RATE OF SPEED. FORTUNATELY, THE OTHER DRIVER AND MYSELF WERE UNHARMED, AND THE DAMAGE TO OUR VEHICLES WAS MINIMAL. I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO A MECHANIC, AND THEY INSPECTED MY BRAKING SYSTEM. THEY NOTICED SEVERE CORROSION ON THE REAR BRAKE LINES, TO THE POINT THAT THERE WAS SERIOUS LEAKING. I HAD MY FRONT BRAKE LINES PATCHED IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR DUE TO CORROSION. IN THAT INSTANCE, I WAS FORTUNATE THAT MY INSTRUMENT PANEL ALERTED ME TO LOW BRAKE FLUID LEVELS. I WAS NOT SO LUCKY THIS TIME AROUND. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH SEVERAL MECHANICS AND READ VARIOUS OTHER PROFESSIONAL OPINIONS ONLINE ABOUT THIS ERA (2007) OF FORD'S BRAKE LINES. FROM THIS INFORMATION, I HAVE GLEANED THAT THERE ARE SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THE CORROSION OF BRAKE LINES. I LIVE IN A MILD CLIMATE WHERE THE ROADS ARE RARELY SALTED, AND YET I HAVE HAD THE AFOREMENTIONED EXPERIENCES. PLEASE DO WHATEVER IS NECESSARY TO REMEDY THIS ISSUE: IT MAY VERY WELL SAVE SOMEONE'S LIFE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD TAURUS. WHILE DRIVING UNKNOWN SPEEDS, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO STOP AFTER A FEW SECONDS. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE LINE WAS SEVERED DUE TO RUST. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 135,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. *TT

FACTORY STEEL BRAKE LINES RUSTED THROUGH. THE BRAKE LINES WERE PARTIALLY PLASTIC COATED. THE PART OF THE LINE THAT RUSTED THROUGH WASN'T COATED AND RAN DOWN THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THE CAR NEAR ONE OF THE HANGERS. BRAKE LINES SHOULD NOT BE MADE OUT OF STEEL FOR VEHICLES. THE SALT THAT IS USED ON THE ROADS IN THE NORTH EAST US EATS THE BRAKE LINES UP WAY TOO QUICKLY. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE! *TR