Air Bags. Review the 232 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Service Brakes. Review the 113 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Power Train. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

17 crash reports5 fire reports5 injury reports

Power Train complaints

22 reports

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99,000 miles · Jul 7, 2014

Electrical SystemEnginePower Train

BATTERY DIED IN MY 2007 MERCURY MILAN. AFTER REPLACING THE BATTERY THE THROTTLE BODY MALFUNCTIONED. CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON. *JS

NHTSA ODI #10608525

85,000 miles · Feb 21, 2014

Power TrainVehicle Speed Control

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MERCURY MILAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THE SPARK PLUGS, THE THROTTLE BODY AND THE POWER TRAIN CONTROL MODULE (PCM) WERE REPLACED. THE FAILURE WAS NOT CORRECTED. T…

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NHTSA ODI #10565321

152,000 miles · Jan 31, 2014

Power Train

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MY CAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER AND THE WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON, AT THE STOP SIGN I SHUT THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTED AND IT WAS GONE. THIS HAPPENED INTERMITTENTLY UNTIL RECENTLY THE CAR SHUTTERS AND DIES IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC WHEN YOU SLOW OR COME TO A STOP. IT ALSO LOSES POWER AND ACCELLERATES VERY SLOWLY. NOW THE WRENCH LIGHT IS ALWAYS ON AND THE CAR SURGES WHEN DRIVING. I UNDERSTAND OTHERS ARE HAVING TROUBLE WITH THIS VERY ISSUE. ALL MY MILAGE IS HIGHWAY MILES AS I DRIVE 160 MILES ROUND TRIP PER DAY. THE THROTTLE BODYS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE AND A DEFINATE SAFETY HAZARD AS THE TROUBLE JUST KICKS IN AT ANY GIVEN TIME AND THE SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER OCCURING DURING BUMPER TO BUMPER IS A SAFETY CONCERN. I HAVE MAINTAINED MY CAR AND TRIED TO KEEP IT LIKE NEW. I THINK THE ISSUE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AND THE THROTTLE BODYS NEED TO BE RECALLED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10562347

182,000 miles · Dec 27, 2013

EngineFuel System, GasolinePower Train

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WHILE FIRST DRIVING MY CAR FROM A STANDSTILL, I NOTICED THE "WRENCH IDIOT LIGHT" ON. THE CAR SEEMED TO BUCK AS IT WENT THROUGH IT'S GEARS. ALSO, THE SPEEDOMETER REGISTERED "0" AT THIS TIME. UPON ENTERING THE HIGHWAY, THE CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO WHAT I THINK IS 4TH GEAR. SEVERAL TIMES, THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD AND THEN THROTTLED BACK TO A LOW RPM, BEFORE RESPONDING TO THE GAS PEDAL. EVENTUALLY, I COULD RUN AT 55 MPH @ 3000 RPM'S, BUT IT WOULDN'T SHIFT ANY FURTHER, EVEN WHEN I WENT FASTER. AT THIS TIME, THE SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE FINALLY REGISTERED MY TRUE SPEED. A COUPLE OF TIMES, THE RPM'S SUDDENLY SHOT-UP AND THEN THE ENGINE THROTTLED BACK. HOWEVER, THE CAR FELT LIKE IT SHOULD HAVE GONE INTO IT'S FINAL FORWARD GEAR BUT COULDN'T. ON LOCAL ROADS. IT SHIFTS EXTREMELY HARD INTO IT'S GEARS. THE WHOLE TIME, THE CAR'S "WRENCH" LIGHT WAS ON. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10557413

94,417 miles · Jun 11, 2013

Power Train

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I WAS LEAVING WORK (5/23) ON MY WAY HOME WHEN MY CAR OUT OF NO WHERE STARTED TO SPUTTER. I PULLED OVER AND TURNED IT OFF. I WAITED A FEW MINUTES AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE. IT SEEMED FINE SO I DROVE IT HOME. THAT EVENING MY HUSBAND CAME HOME AND STARTED IT TO SEE WHAT THE ISSUE WAS AND IT SPUTTERED AND SHIMMIED AGAIN. TOOK THE CAR TO DEALERSHIP ON FRIDAY (5/24) SO THEY COULD DIAGNOSE IT. I WAS INFORMED THAT IT WAS THE COILS AND THE PCM HAD TO BE REPLACED I AM STILL WITHOUT MY CAR BECAUSE FORD HAS YET TO SHIP THE PART. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PCM IS ON SALES HOLD. IT IS NOW JUNE 11TH. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME MY PCM WAS REPLACED. THIS IS GETTING TO BE A COSTLY SITUATION AND I NEED TO KNOW WHAT FORD IS GOING TO DO ABOUT THIS. THEY KNOW THERE IS A PROBLEM THAT EFFECTS THE FUSION, TAURUS, EDGE, LINCOLN ZEPHYR AND MK AND MKX, MERCURY MILAN AND SABLE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10519329

43,000 miles · Mar 29, 2013

Air BagsPower Train

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MY MERCURY MILAN, I STARTED NOTICING MULTIPLE PROBLEMS OF MY AIR BAG BACK IN 2010, THAT AS I FIRST START THE CAR, THAT THE AIR BAG LIGHT ON THE CONTROL PANEL WOULD BE ON, AFTER ABOUT 15-20 MINUTES IT WOULD THEN GO OFF, BUT NOW ON ALL THE TIME DUE TO A MODULE UNDER THE PASSENGER SEAT. THE 2ND PROBLEM IS OF MY TRANSMISSION, WHILE IN TRAFFIC, ALOT OF STOPPING AND STARTING, I NOTICED MY TRANSMISSION SEEMS TO SLIP OUT AS IF I'M IN NEUTRAL, I'VE SEEN THERE WAS A RECALL OR TALK OF IT FOR THIS PROBLEM OF SOME OF THE NEWER MODELS, BUT THE YEAR FOR 2007, THERE IS NOTHING FOR IT, SO THIS PROBLEM STARTED WELL BEFORE THE YEARS THAT WERE LISTED, THIS CONCERNS ME AS IF I NEEDED TO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY FOR SOME ODD REASON, SPECIALLY WHILE HAVING FAMILY IN THE CAR, THERE'D BE NOW WAY OF DOING SO QUICKLY IF DESIRED, AND WOULD ABSORB AN IMPACT OF ANY .SO THE 2 ITEMS LISTED CONCERNS ME AS A CONSUMER FOR "SAFETY REASON" SPECIALLY WHEN DRIVING MY CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN WITH ME. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10504922

88,479 miles · Jun 18, 2012

Fuel/propulsion SystemPower Train

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DRIVING ON INTERSTATE AT APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH ON 11/16/2011 WHEN VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST POWER, ENGINE STILL RUNNING BUT NO RESPONSE TO ACCELERATOR. FORTUNATELY THERE WAS MINIMAL TRAFFIC AND I WAS ABLE TO COAST AND EXIT THE HIGHWAY INTO A TRUCK STOP. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A STATION THAT IDENTIFIED A THROTTLE ACTUATOR SHUTDOWN. SYSTEM WAS RESET BUT NO OTHER PROBLEM COULD BE IDENTIFIED AT THAT TIME. THE SAME THING HAPPENED ON 6/15/2012, TRAVELING AT APPROX. 40 MPH ON A BACK ROAD, NO OTHER TRAFFIC, WAS ABLE TO SAFELY PULL TO THE SIDE. VEHICLE MILEAGE AT TIME OF SECOND INCIDENT WAS APPROX 100,040. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP WHERE THE PART TO BE REPLACED WAS IDENTIFIED. MY CONCERN IS THIS REPRESENTS A POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD WERE THIS TO OCCUR ON A BUSY HIGHWAY. THERE IS ALSO A HARD JARRING OF THE TRANSMISSION WHEN THE THROTTLE SHUTDOWN OCCURS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10462133

39,252 miles · Dec 31, 2011

Power Train

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CAR ALWAYS SHIFTED HARD AT 2500 RPM'S. BUT GOT PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. TOOK TO WAYNE LINCOLN MERCURY (WHERE I HAD PURCHASED THE CAR NEW) THEY TESTED THE CAR AND SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG. BROUGHT CAR BACK AT ABOUT 53,000 MILES WITH SAME COMPLAINT THEY SAID IT WAS A MOTOR MOUNT. HAD IT CHECKED AT LOCAL GARAGE THEY SAID MOTOR MOUNT WAS FINE.POWER TRAIN WARNING LIGHT CAME ON TRANS STARTED TO SLIP TRANS FLUID ALMOST BLACK.CAR HAD EXTENDED WARRANTY BUT DEALER REFUSED TO HONOR BECAUSE CAR DIDN'T HAVE 70,000 MILE SERVICING DONE. TOOK TO LOCAL TRANS SHOP TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY REBUILT CAR WAS FINE FOR TWO WEEKS. POWER TRAIN LIGHT CAME ON TRANS STARTED TO SLIP BROUGHT CAR BACK. THEY REBUILT TRANS AGAIN. POWER TRAIN LIGHT ON AGAIN CAR JERKED IN REVERSE,BACK TO TRANNY SHOP SAID IT WAS SLIPPING AGAIN. SHOP DIDN'T WANT TO TAKE CHANCE WITH CURRENT TRANSMISSION REBUILT ANOTHER TRANS AND INSTALLED IN CAR. WEEK LATER SAME PROBLEM CAR IN SHOP AGAIN.HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR SIX MONTHS.CAN'T DRIVE CAR AT ALL. *KB

NHTSA ODI #10441940

19,200 miles · Dec 13, 2010

Power Train

12/12/2010--THE TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING AS I LEFT MY GRANDSON BIRTHDAY ,I BOUGHT THE CAR LAST MONTH IT ONLY HAS 19,800 MILES ON IT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10370325

90,000 miles · Nov 6, 2009

Power Train

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I BOUGHT MY 2007 MERCURY MILAN PREMIERE IN NOV OF 2007. I HAVE NOT HAD ANY REAL PROBLEMS UNTIL ABOUT 3 WEEKS AGO. ON A FRIDAY WE WERE DRIVING TO MY KIDS DOCTORS AND NOTICED THAT THE GEARS WERE SLIPPING A LITTLE BIT. ON THE WAY BACK IT GOT WORSE. SO WE TOOK IT IN TO A FRIENDS TRANSMISSION SHOP AND HE HAD TOLD US THAT THE TRANNY WAS GONE, BAD HISTORY. SO HE HAD MY CAR FOR 8 DAYS PUTTING A REBUILT TRANNY IN IT. WE GOT IT BACK ON THE 8TH NIGHT AND STARTED DRIVING HOME AND NOTICED THAT IT WAS NOT SHIFTING PROPERLY. SO WE TOOK IT BACK AND THE AXLE SEAL HAD GONE BAD. SO ANOTHER DAY AND A HALF OF MY CAR BEING IN THE SHOP. WE HAD THE CAR BACK FOR ALMOST A WEEK AND I WAS DRIVING IT TO THE STORE AND THE RPM'S WENT WAY UP TO 6500 AND WASN'T MOVING. SO I PULLED OVER. WAITED 3 HOURS TO BE TOWED. SO COME TO FIND OUT MY TRANNY IS OUT AGAIN AND THEY NOW HAVE HAD MY CAR FOR 5 DAYS. THEY ALSO TOLD ME THAT 3 OTHER MILANS HAVE BEEN IN FOR TRANNY WORK. I HAVE DISH OUT $1650 FOR A REBUILT TRANNY AND $480 FOR A RENTAL. I NOW HAVE A RENTAL BUT THANKFULLY THE TRANNY PLACE IS PAYING FOR IT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10291234

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