10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
38 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
9 / 0
Average Mileage:
92,383 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #239

Dec 012017

Fusion

  • 105,000 miles
The ABS system is faulty, the brakes lock up when on the least amount of ice or snow and now the pedal requires pumping or it will go to the floor. It used to correct itself but now seems to be permanent. While I have been able to stop the car I am concerned about my safety, what if it stops working at all? if can happen from any speed.

- Leominster, MA, USA

problem #238

Jan 122018

Fusion

  • 168,000 miles
Driving 55 mpd, then went to turn and no brake response after pushing pedal after ABS engaged, nearly went off the road, continued to have to push pedal all the way to floor to get any response; went away after car restarted for now; dealer said needs ABS hydraulic control unit replaced

- Marine, IL, USA

problem #237

Jul 182013

Fusion

  • 75,000 miles
After hitting a rough area on the road, my brake pedal went all the way to the floor. It never corrected itself. That was a few years ago and the pedal still goes to the floor every time I press the brakes. Also, the dash where the air bag is, is severely bubbled.

- Imperial, CA, USA

problem #236

Jan 032018

Fusion

  • 48,000 miles
Brake pedal went to the floor while braking. This happened three (3) times while the wife was driving the car; had a hard time stopping. Twice in 2017 and once in 2018. The events happened while trying to stop for a stop sign on city streets.

- Clovis, NM, USA

problem #235

Aug 282017

Fusion

  • miles
Takata recall. The brakes seem to not be fixable. I have replace brake pads, master cynlinder, flushed out break fluid, bled brake. Brake are still not working properly. If I hit a bump at a pretty good speed, the brakes get worse and then I have to push the pedal all the way to the floor and still doesn't really slow down. I have spent a lot of money on getting these brakes repaired and still not working properly. I hit on brakes to pull over and I hit a bump on the side of the road and brakes stopped working properly again. I don't know what else to do. I have had Ford dealership inspect brakes and they said I need to replace master cylinder. I replaced it and no change.

- Montgomery, AL, USA

problem #234

Jan 112018

Fusion

  • 109,000 miles
Brake pedal is soft after ABS activated resulting in unexpectedly increased stopping distance. I recently had the mast cylinder replaced to fix this, but the problem persists. After several hard pumps of the pedal, it's firmness is restored.

- Overland Park, KS, USA

problem #233

Jan 072018

Fusion

  • 70,065 miles
Hit patch of ice and had ABS system engage. Immediately afterwards the brakes became soft and wouldn't engage until the pedal was almost to the floor. Car has 70K miles on it.

- Stafford, VA, USA

problem #232

Dec 222017

Fusion

  • 177,350 miles
Issue happened 4 times in last year and a half. Slight skid twice on wet pavement, once on stone driveway, and once on wet metal sensor plate leading into toll booth. All 4 times were at low speed. Two times I was turning. Two times I was just slowing to a stop. Brake pedal went soft and braking distance increased. Soft pedal gradually improved over a period of weeks, but still felt softer than it should be and I questioned the reliability. The first time it happened, I took to a mechanic who couldn't find anything wrong. The last time I took to a Ford dealership, told them the symptoms, and asked them to check the hcu for the ABS. They told me the master cylinder was shot and had to be replaced and they could only check the hcu afterwards, which turned out to be faulty. So they ended up replacing both the master cylinder and the hcu. The bill was $2000 but the brakes now feel like they are supposed to.

- Adamstown, PA, USA

problem #231

Dec 292017

Fusion

  • 73,000 miles
Driving in light snow approx. 20 mph, stopping at a stop sign pedal went to floor and remained soft, pumping pedal brought it up again slightly but stopping is very slow. After not moving it for a day, pedal came back up and seemed fine. Second time this has happened in 6 months. It is now in the repair shop as I feel it is unsafe to drive. Mechanics have said it is mechanical either master cylinder or ABS valve but there is no test to determine what the problem is according to Ford mechanics. There are only 73000 miles on the car. Seems this happens when it is wet or snowing and it is random when it happens, however once the pedal goes to the floor it does not come back up to normal until after the car sits for a day. This is a very expensive repair and if it turns out to be the valve there is a 3 day wait to get the part, in the meantime I am forced to rent a car also. I have heard that Ford is well aware of this issue but is not addressing the situation or taking responsibility for poor design and engineering. In the meantime the consumer is forced to either pay for the repair or get rid of an unsafe car.

- Palos Hills, IL, USA

problem #230

Dec 282017

Fusion

  • 71,000 miles
During a braking event on a snowy, slippery surface, my ABS was activated. I was slowing down from ~50mph to 0mph in order to make a turn. After my ABS activated during the initial application of the brake, my pedal became soft and I can now press it all the way to the floor. Due to this increased brake pedal travel, it takes me a significantly longer distance/time to slow my car down. If I were to apply the brakes normally, I would not be able to stop in time and could end up in an intersection or in an accident. This has happened once before and my brakes were bled to 'address' the issue. The issue now has reoccurred after another ABS event. These incidents are similar to what is described in the open NHTSA investigation PE16-017.

- Blaine, MN, USA

problem #229

Dec 202017

Fusion 6-cyl

  • 150,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that when she had to abruptly apply pressure to the brake pedal, the vehicle did not stop. There were no warning indicators illuminated before or after the failure. Ford Lincoln of columbia (115 S james campbell blvd in columbia, tn) diagnosed the failure, but the results were not available. The vehicle was not repaired in the past; reported problem but Ford couldn't duplicate issue. But the failure recurred. Seems to be a failure with the ABS sensor. Slowing down, hit bumper press suddenly harder on brakes ABS pedal goes down to floor, car speeds up! currently contact is not driving the car. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

- Columbia, TN, USA

problem #228

Dec 242017

Fusion

  • 130,000 miles
Everything described in investigation PE16017 happened to my Fusion this year. The first incident occurred when the ABS kicked in while driving in motion on a wet road. Immediately after the brakes were mushy - almost to the floor. Pumping the brakes restored hydraulics, and the problem did not reoccur until 12/24/17. That night the ABS kicked in multiple times while moving on a snowy / icy road. Brakes went mushy and almost to the floor. Pumping the brakes restored hydraulics but only temporarily. If I let off the brakes for any amount of time, the next press of the brakes results in the same thing occurring. Mechanic says the ABS requires a computer reset to resolve and that this may occur every time the ABS kicks in. I did not have an accident but it would be easy to rear end someone since you expect pressure much sooner than happens.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #227

Nov 152017

Fusion

  • 143,600 miles
Once the ABS mode is activated from a hard braking the front wheel locks up leaving no braking available until the Fusion is almost stopped. Once the vehicle has slowed significantly the locked wheel releases and brake function returns to normal. The dealership that sold the vehicle did replace the master cylinder but it made no difference once hard braking was applied. This situation gets worse during inclement weather allowing the front wheel to lock up much easier and quicker. It worries me that this is their only vehicle and they always have their 3 children with them.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #226

May 232015

Fusion

  • 71,000 miles
The bakes got very soft/non-responsive when the brake pedal is pushed after they had been applied aggressively to avoid an accident. Traveling at 45 mph on a city street at an intersection. Dealer said it was a known problem and that it would be around $1,500 to get it repaired. Where is the responsibility of the manufacture and government regulations (that we pay for dearly) in making the manufacture responsible for cheap built & not to specification's in the replacement of the malfunctioning ABS. Still driving as is hoping & crossing the fingers each time it is driven.

- Bavaria, KS, USA

problem #225

Dec 092017

Fusion

  • 107,000 miles
Spongy brake pedal after ABS is triggered. Issue lasts several days to several weeks. Longer than expected braking distances. Need to push the pedal almost to the floor to get the car to stop.

- Franklin, WI, USA

problem #224

Dec 182017

Fusion

  • 79,000 miles
The road was wet, and during a hard stop going down hill, the brakes shook, went to the floor and became spongy afterwards. This has happened to me several times, usually in the rain or after driving over a bump or pothole. The most recent time before today, the brakes were spongy for months before returning to normal responsiveness. The open investigation "PE 16-017" perfectly describes my problem.

- Hendersonville, TN, USA

problem #223

Dec 142017

Fusion

  • 108,000 miles
2009 Ford Fusion - brake system: I have been having trouble with my vehicle for over a year. When the anti-lock brake system (ABS) engages while my car is in motion due to sudden stops, braking on wet surface, crossing uneven surface (railroad tracks) while braking, or maintaining speed while crossing a pothole my brakes become "spongy" immediately after. The brakes feel as if the brake pedal lost pressure requiring me to press my brake all the way to the floor. This has increased my stopping distance and has become a safety concern. These occurrences happened on a city street and/or highway and has happened going straight or turning. The speeds in which my ABS has engaged occurred at or below the speed limit of the road I was on (I.e. 15 mph to 70 mph). At first, I would pump the brakes and my brakes would return to normal within an hour or so. It has gotten worse over the year or so and currently my brakes do not return to normal and are still in the "spongy" state. Last month I had my master cylinder replaced and I thought that had fixed the problem up until yesterday when my ABS engaged again crossing train tracks while decelerating. My brakes are currently in the "spongy" state due to yesterdays event. I am uncertain to what the cause of the problem is but can speculate from online forums that it could be the hydraulic control unit. Please contact me if you need any additional information. I do not currently have my invoice from the master cylinder replacement with me but can obtain it if needed once I get home.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #222

Dec 132017

Fusion

  • 87,000 miles
Driving car in inclement weather. Was going forward ( straight) on a local road with a downhill grade at a speed of approximately 15 mph. Used brake to maintain speed as I was going down the hill. The ABS engaged briefly as expected due to snow on the road. Removed foot from brake briefly but when I stepped on the brake again to stop at the stop sign the brake did not engage as it usually does but instead went almost all the way to the floor before engaging. Stopping distance was significantly longer that usual. If I had not allowed extra stopping distance as a precaution due to the weather I would have driven through the stop sign on to a busy road. Once stopped I turned left onto a flat straight road. As I drove forward going approximately 25 mph I tested the brakes 4 additional times over a distance of approximately a mile and a half. Each time the brake petal went almost to the floor before it engaged. When it did engage it took much longer to slow the car down. I pulled into a flat parking lot and called a family member to check the area where the car was parked for evidence of a brake fluid leak. There was none. I kept the car running for approximately 10 - 15 minutes thinking the issue might be related to the cold ( it was about 20 degree Fahrenheit). After allowing the car to run I tested the breaking again by accelerating and stopping in the parking lot. The brakes appeared to be working as usual. I am having the vehicle towed to the dealership as I feel it is unsafe to drive.

- Washington, PA, USA

problem #221

Dec 072017

Fusion

  • 109,000 miles
3 times in the last 2 months, my car's ABS has engaged and I lost most braking ability afterwards. Twice it happened while running over manhole covers while slowing, when ABS shouldn't have gone off. Once was in snow, during gently braking which also shouldn't have engaged it. After each time, the brakes were immediately extremely soft and spongey, going all the way to the floor before working. Once I actually coasted thru the stop sign and ended up in the road before being able to stop, thankfully no one was coming. When we bled the brakes, they would be firm and normal again, until the next time ABS engaged. Research and mechanic says it's likely the ABS hcu, an expensive repair that we cannot afford. My research also turned up that this is a common problem in these years of Fusion, and that there is an open investigation into it: PE 16-017. Please consider recalling these cars and fixing the units! the alternative to not being able to fix it is to pull the ABS fuse, making the ABS inactive, and that is not safe. But it is what I would guess most of us will do, as we're not driving 8-10 yr old cars because we're well-off financially, and a $1200 repair is a significant portion of the car's value. My car has 109,000 miles if it matters. Thank you for your consideration.

- Zeeland, MI, USA

problem #220

Sep 282017

Fusion

  • 70,000 miles
I lose brake pressure after the ABS is activated on slippery roads or uneven/bumpy roads while turning. Once the ABS activates and stops, the brakes seems to not to fully recover where the pedal has to go to the floor to get minimal brake pressure and it takes a longer distance to stop.

- Erie, PA, USA

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