The contact owns a 2010 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brakes seized. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was unable to pull to the side of the road. The contact stated that the vehicle responded as needed after waiting for a while. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the brake master cylinder, the brake booster, the vacuum pump, the brake calipers, the brake check valve, the brakes lines, and the brake pedal sensor were replaced. Additionally, the ECM was replaced and reprogrammed; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the failure occurred when the brake fluid was hot after driving 15-20 miles. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

I am the owner of a 2010 Ford Flex, VIN #[xxx]. my vehicle suffers from episodic brake failures. This occurs as the vehicle is first driven off and the engine is cold. Braking power is then reduced to 10% of normal, resulting in alarmingly long stopping distances. Once driven a few miles the brakes resume normal function. The issue surfaced at 20,000 miles in January 2010. The vehicle was serviced under warranty for this problem at least 4 times. This issue has been pinpointed to a probable vacuum loss present only on these vehicles that are driven at altitude above 7000 feet and share the flexes?? ecoboost AWD drive train. I live at 9000 ft. The service manager at my local dealership, summit Ford of silverthorne Colorado, has acknowledged I am not alone with a vehicle experiencing this dangerous mechanical problem but admits to being unable to fix it and has nothing further to offer. To date I have not been involved in a collision. However in the last 12 months I have had a few distressing close calls. Ford Motor Co. Was initially alerted of this situation by phone in April 2010 with a call to their consumer resolution center. My request for help is being ignored by Ford Motor Company. My phone calls are not returned, my emails are ignored, even certified mail is not acknowledged. It has been my desire to work with Ford Motor Company on solving this issue but I have exhausted all avenues. Ford refuses to acknowledge my communications, Ford has been alerted to this public safety issue but has obviously chosen to disregard it. I hope alerting this organization will generate some action before an injury occurs. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Frisco, CO, USA

2010 Ford Flex front brakes replaced twice due to grinding and wear. Back brake calipers and brakes replaced due to sticking and uneven wear on tires.

- Temple, TX, USA

2010 Ford Flex bad brake issue. I live at high altitude and have a Ford Flex eco boost that performed flawlessly up until about 21K miles when we had a brake failure, the brakes did not stop the car. The dealer replaced a master brake booster and since that time we intermittently get a hard brake pedal and no matter how hard you push the pedal the car will not stop. There is another person also living at the same altitude about 9,200 feet in summit county co who had the exact same series of events although currently he is down in Texas with no issues. A third person in Wyoming who is about 6,000 feet is having the same problem. Ford claims there is nothing wrong with the car and have sent two engineers to look at it who have not experienced the hard pedal but the GM at the dealer has, never the less every once in a while especially when first starting out the brake pedal is hard and you have about 10% braking. My wife actually went through a red light for about 20 feet before she could finally stopped she was lucky no car was coming at the time. It only happens at high altitude apparently. Which means that people driving up into the mountains to go skiing or whatever may get an awful surprise if their brakes fail. I have posted under the www.fordflexforum.com and www.fordflex.net where you can see the replies from others with the same problem. As this problem did not occur up until about 21K miles for all three cars I know about there has to be a defective part somewhere. We are reluctant to use the car and are worried about consequences if we were to have an accident. We have reported direct to Ford and have a contact with their customer service, the latest advice hire an independent engineer to verify their is an issue. I figured I would try the government. Thank you

- Silverthorne, CO, USA

Potential braking failure. Dealer acknowledged after second visit that a factory defect caused the front calipers to become loose from the respected backing plates and have enlarged the mounting holes. The front calipers, rotors, and backing plates must be replaced. Vehicle is under warranty.

- Kenmore, WA, USA

2010 Ford Flex has been into the dealer three separate times for brake issues. The first time nothing was found and nothing was resolved. The second time was for the tsb to repair the issue that was not found on the first visit. The third time was for rear brakes that had an initial grinding noise that you could also feel in the brake pedal along with the smell of smoke when driven. The dealer charged a $70 diagnostic fee to state the brakes needed to be replaced. This was the obvious reason on why the car was brought to the dealer in the first place. Not only did the brakes disintegrate but it had also ruined the rotors. In which they are asking for the cost of labor and parts to repair the damage.

- Hesperia, CA, USA

2010 Ford Flex. Consumer writes regarding problem with brakes the consumer stated the problem he experienced with the brakes only happened for a short time after the vehicle has been stationary for several hours. The consumer stated the brake pedal was very stiff when the vehicle was first started. Once he began driving, the pedal was so stiff, it felt as though the vehicle was not going to stop, the consumer stated he had to apply the brake very hard and eventually the vehicle stopped. After driving about 3/4 of a mile, the brakes seemed fine. The consumer has been to the dealer on four separate occasions. The first time, the dealer stated a new brake booster was needed which was replaced under warranty. The problem seemed to be fixed initially, but it slowly returned. The consumer returned to the dealer and they confirmed the problem. However, Ford later stated they did not have a fix for the problem. An engineer from corporate then came out and tested the vehicle and said there was nothing wrong.

- Evergreen, CO, USA

2010 Flex limited in April 2010 I noticed a grinding sound from the front rotors, especially when roads were wet. Went to the dealer and was told they had a technical bulletin on a fix for it--for vehicles under 18,000 miles. The vehicle had about 14,000 on it at the time. I don't know what they fixed or tried to fix. Later in the summer, it returned, again more pronounced when raining. When reporting it to the dealer, the dealer service rep said that the company was aware of the problem but had not come up with a fix--but it was ok to drive. My wife took it in and reported the problem getting worse. They didn't believe her. I took it in and they believed me. They ordered the parts to repair it. I heard nothing after three weeks, so I stopped by the dealer; oh, they just came in yesterday--seems like their system should be sophisticated enough to contact me when the parts come in, as there was no follow-up to contact me--even though they apparently knew there was a problem. The new parts have been installed and it appears to be fixed--for now.

- Petersburg, MI, USA

Purchase Ford Flex 2010 model, first complaint occur late January/February 2010, front brakes pads were not working and pulling hard. Return to dealership and they repaired the car, telling me this is an existing problem with three manufacture replacements already. I return in September 2010 with same problem, now I have waited over a week for parts on "back order" hoping this will be a permanent fix. Don't have car, still waiting. My Ford Motor Contact in the complaint dept went on vacation, now I unable to contact anyone to determine the status of my car.

- Jupiter, FL, USA