9.1

really awful
Typical Repair Cost:
$1,170
Average Mileage:
114,150 miles
Total Complaints:
46 complaints

Most common solutions:

  1. not sure (31 reports)
  2. replace hydraulic control unit (13 reports)
  3. repair brakes (2 reports)
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problem #46

Mar 042017

Fusion SE 4 cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 80,000 miles

STILL waiting for Ford Motor Company!! NHTSA Safety recall parts have not arrived from company??

Hydraulic Control unit problem. We have not driven car too much since problem started. What is your problem Ford??

- sdchargerr, Clinton Township, MI, US

problem #45

Sep 302020

Fusion S 4 cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 129,310 miles

This is not the first time with this problem. We've been working with this for a couple of years now. The Ford dealer in Cedar Springs was unable to get a part so they tried a repair with a used part. It did not work. If the antilock brakes kick in you will lose brake firmness for several seconds even on dry pavement, with long stopping distances. Spongy brakes may last for awhile, maybe several miles of driving. This is my wife's car that has never been driven in winter, and it is in otherwise excellent condition. I don't think it is safe but she continues to drive it thinking it will soon be fixed via the recall. I advised her to trade it before she is hurt.

- abenn63622, Howard City, US

problem #44

Oct 152018

Fusion SE

  • Automatic transmission
  • 88,500 miles

After hitting a rough patch of road while going into a turn the abs activated and now the pedal goes all the way to the floor. This has happened in several occasions. Sometime the pedal returns to normal operation quickly and others over time. Looking on the web this is a very common issue that Ford needs to address before someone gets killed!

- Mark B., Farmington, MI, US

problem #43

Oct 292018

Fusion V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 239,481 miles

I have a 2008 Ford Fusion V6. The brakes are very soft. pads and rotors are good. I had the mechanic check all the wheels. Calipers, cylinder, rotors, pads on each wheel. OK. I changed the master cylinder. Still soft. ABS light is on.

I have red many complaints on this model.

But has anyone repaired theirs completely.

Has replacing the ABS/HCU solved the problem?? The both will cost me $1800 and I need to know if the issue is resolved after replacing it.

I did buy a used one and hoping the problem is fixed. Car is still at mechanic

And for the people that spongy brakes. Was your ABS light on prior to the spongy brake.

- Dianne K., scarborough, ON, Canada

problem #42

Dec 122018

Fusion SEL V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 115,000 miles

Spongy brakes are an annoyance and a definite safety hazard.

- ldjansen, Eagen, US

problem #41

May 032018

Fusion V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 81,000 miles

Having owned some 70 cars in my life so far, Midas has been the go-to shop to fix brakes until now. The master cylinder, power booster, brake pads, and lately HCU has been replaced. The problem is that Midas couldn't find the HCU problem nor could they fix it. I was referred to Ford Motor dealer.

After 4 times of service in Oceanside, CA, Scottsdale, AZ, and Vista, CA Midas shops from Feb 2013, again in June 2017 and last month in Vista, I had to spend another $1500 to have it fixed and diagnosed correctly. I am finding out that Midas is not capable to doing anymore than they are told what the problem is, 3 Midas brake shops were involved and none could take care of what needed to be done.

So $1500 or so I have spent to have no warranty or recourse to have Midas fix it. From now on I will not take any car with any electronics into Midas. They are not capable of fixing it. I will never go to Midas again. My trust and respect for Midas has diminished immensely. Too bad, but true.

- Anita R., Oceanside, US

problem #40

Apr 102018

Fusion

  • Automatic transmission
  • 77,000 miles

My wife drives 70 miles round trip daily for work. On Tuesday of this week she left home and brakes were fine - got up on the highway - no issues. Then out of the blue, while trying to brake the pedal had to be smashed to the floor with a prolonged braking time. This continued the entire trip. She pulled off the road, did test stops in parking lot and problem continued. I should note conditions were dry. I drove to get her car to get it home and the brakes worked fine and have since. No explanation. But 4 other people at her work checked the brake system and found them squishy and going to the floor all morning despite being full on brake fluid. After letting the car rest 8 hours the brakes were fine. They have been fine since; HOWEVER - not the first time this has happened. In the past it was on wet roads and we thought it was the ABS. Obviously not. MY WIFE'S LIFE IS NOT WORTH THIS CAR'S CRAPPY BRAKES THAT ARE OBVIOUSLY NOT DEPENDABLE AND PUT HER LIFE AND OTHERS IN DANGER. FORD SHOULD RECALL FOR SAFETY IMMEDIATELY. She will be getting a new car, and IT WON'T BE A FORD!

- richardinge, Forney, US

problem #39

Jul 152016

Fusion 2.3L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 86,000 miles

2008 Ford Fusion I was traveling about 40 miles an hour a car pulled out in front of me I put on my brakes and the ABS kicked in ... after that I had spongy to NO brakes at all. ABS should not have engaged due to not stopping hard ! I actually almost ended up rear ending the car in front of me due to spongy to NO brakes ! Scared me to death ... I pulled over and made my husband come get me and drive the car home .. he had spongy to NO brakes so we had the brakes done .. this was only a short term fix, this continued to happen. now NO brakes at all, the car is unsafe to drive.

- Heather R., Louisville, US

problem #38

Aug 282017

Fusion

  • Automatic transmission
  • 121,456 miles

I have owned the vehicle for a year now, previous owners didn't tell me of the problem. Has happened about a dozen times or more now, thankful nobody has been hurt yet, but it's just a matter of time. I have come close to several wrecks so far and don't have money to fix it right now. Ford needs to recall this problem as it is a MAJOR safety problem! Obviously there are MANY reports of this happening.... our mechanic quoted us $2,000 to fix the ABS valve that gets stuck when brakes are applied going over a bump or driving in the rain and brakes are applied. That's not ok. Always happens on drivers side.

- Brooke T., Ponder, US

problem #37

Aug 062017

Fusion SEL V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 160,052 miles

Car was in motion on a city street in traffic. As I drove over a small pothole while I was braking, it began to brake normally then suddenly went almost to the floor and the car did not slow down until the last moment. I barely missed hitting the car in front of me.

Update from Aug 28, 2017: Auto shop identified as a bad ABS Hydraulic Control Unit (HCU) and replaced it. This resolved the problem.

- Sean B., Coppell, TX, US

problem #36

Jan 122016

Fusion 2.3L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 100,000 miles

This is bullshit ..... I have a car I am unable to drive! New brake pads, new calipers, new rotors, new master cylinder ... still have NO brakes. I'm the only income my family has and extra money spent on something that is a safety issue is just F*CKED up!!!! I have already spent over $700 .... come to find out I now need ABS control module/pump which is over $500 not to mention the labor cost! My car has been out of service for 2 months! This has been an on going issue ..... here's a kicker- damn thing is almost paid for .... so I have a car that is basically yard art!!!!

For years this car has had spongy brake issues .... now it has no brakes even after replacing sh*t that was unnecessary..... I'm a die hard FORD girl, but it will be a cold day in hell before I purchase another Ford ....

- Heather R., Louisville, US

problem #35

Aug 012017

Fusion SEL 3.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 137,000 miles

During a hard stop last week the ABS engaged, the left front tire locked up and overall braking distance increased dramatically. The brake pedal was soft and traveled to the floor afterwards. The brake pedal travel returned to normal the following day however braking distance remained too far. The master cylinder has been replaced with marginal improvement to brake performance. The ABS module needs to be replaced to resolve this issue.

- Trevor R., New Braunfels, TX, US

problem #34

Mar 162016

Fusion SEL 3.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 132,890 miles

I have a 2008 Ford Fusion SEL and March of last year while coming up to a stop light I went over a bump in the road about 80 feet to the stop light. When I stepped on the brake pedal at the same time I went over the bump my brake pedal went completely to the floor. I pumped the brake pedal a few times and was able to stop in time, after that happened my brake pedal stayed spongy. I went straight to my mechanic and he drove it and diagnosed it as the master cylinder. He replaced the master cylinder and it worked well for 2 months, and in the same spot as before before the same thing happened again and we thought the master cylinder was faulty so he replaced the master cylinder for the 2nd time. 3 weeks later it happened again and this time he was able to diagnose it as the ABS hydraulic control unit. In my opinion this should be considered a recall issue since several people are experiencing the same issue. I can understand if it was a few vehicles but it seems to me that there is more to this than just a wear item.

- Irene C., Deming, NM, US

problem #33

May 052017

Fusion S 2.3L I4 Fi Dohc

  • Automatic transmission
  • 105,000 miles

Brakes had been fine/normal operation, until I braked hard to avoid a pothole. Immediately, the pedal went/stayed soft, approx 30% stopping power. I took it to my mechanic, who replaced the ABS module (located near rt side headlight) & the master cylinder, to no avail/success. Now I'll take it to dealer for follow-up.

- Thomas E., South Bend, IN, US

problem #32

Mar 272017

Fusion

  • Automatic transmission
  • 98,000 miles

We had just got new brakes in December and thought the work on them was faulty. Shop thought it was the master cylinder and it was replaced. ($450) That didn't fix the issue. After having to do intense diagnosis on the car, Ford wouldn't help with parts or known issues. We had to get it towed to a dealership to get it fixed. We are still waiting on the estimate. I'm highly pissed that this is a known issue and has 169 service updates regarding ABS issues still no recall on car.

- Sarah L., blacklick, OH, US

problem #31

Jan 272017

Fusion SE V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 150,000 miles

I was driving to work and I attempted to stop my brakes went all the way to the floor and barely slowed me down. since i no longer felt safe i had to miss work to have the problem looked into resulting in me getting fired. My fiance looked it over and couldnt find anything. Later that day we drove around and no problem. A few weeks later I had the same issue. I looked this issue up on a few webistes and found this is reoccuring problem. I feel that Ford should take accountabilty and pay for this issue

- Muranda J., La Harpe, IL, US

problem #30

Jun 072016

Fusion

  • Automatic transmission
  • 105,001 miles

FORD needs to stand behind their product and get this DANGEROUS problem fixed - right away. I have to pay my car note every month and I can't drive my car! Ford is aware of the problem- stop dragging your feet!

- Judy E., Sevierville, US

problem #29

Mar 202017

Fusion SEL 4 Cy

  • Automatic transmission
  • 161,000 miles

So when our son was in a crash in bumber to bumber traffic and he said the brakes didn't work, we didn't really believe him. But the car has been back from the shop for a week and they totally checked the brakes while it was there and today he came home and said it happened again, the brakes went "soft" when he went over a speed bump.

Really, Ford, I found this information quickly online. Why haven't you recalled this yet??? How hurt does someone have to get for you to deal with this. I am not happy.

- thetroople, Diamond Bar, US

problem #28

Feb 092017

Fusion SEL 4 Cy

  • Automatic transmission
  • 160,000 miles

My son was in traffic on the frwys here in So Cal and when someone ahead of him slammed on his brakes, he also hit his brakes but he said they went "soft" and wouldn't brake. He hit the car in front of him and his 2008 Ford Fusion was totaled. We bought the car back and had it fixed up at a very good mechanic. He has only had it a week and the problem had reoccurred going over a speed bump. His brakes got spongy again. From the reading I've done on here I also want to know why Ford hasn't taken care of this with a recall.

- thetroople, Diamond Bar, US

problem #27

Jan 302017

Fusion SEL V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 100,000 miles

Brake pedal went to floor after ABS kicked in on gravel road. After that the brake has to be smashed to the floor to have any stopping ability. Paid $900 plus dollars at local Ford dealership to have master cylinder and booster replaced which did not fix the problem. I then found a YouTube video describing the exact problem I was experiencing and showed it to the dealership. The dealership replaced the ABS hydraulic control unit according to the video and that fixed the problem. Very lucky this didn't happen at higher speeds, this could have been a causality in the works.

- huskerfan, Kearney, US

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