This has occurred several times over the past year with my 2009 Ford Fusion that currently has 74,000 miles on it. When pressing the brake pedal while driving over a small pothole or slightly damp road surface, the ABS system engages. The brake pedal feels as though it is grinding and pushing back on my foot, and the car does not stop. I press the brake as hard as I can to try to stop the car. The brake pedal continues to feel as though it is grinding and then drops to the floor. The car eventually comes to a stop. I have nearly been in several accidents, due to the car's inability to stop immediately. Currently, I have to drive several feet behind the car in front of me, even on flat, dry road surfaces. Now when I press the brake pedal, the brakes engage, but then disengage, until the brake pedal is pressed to the floor. Once the brake pedal is on the floor, the car slowly comes to a stop. The car will not stop immediately. It is dangerous to drive the car, because of this. I must know well ahead of time when I have to stop the car.

- West Roxbury, MA, USA

I purchased this used car on Sept. 28, 2016. Five weeks later, on Nov. 4, I was nearing a red light on a city street and began to brake. Unexpectedly, the ABS engaged and I found myself without any braking power. I had to push the brake pedal to the floor until the car eventually stopped approximately 12-15 feet later. If another car or a person had been in front of me, I would have hit them. I immediately contacted the Ford dealership where I bought the car (autonation Ford of white beat lake, Minnesota), told them what happened and then drove my car slowly to the dealership where they kept it for four days. They replaced the master cylinder and I was led to believe that that was the end of the problem. The dealership claimed that they didn't know what else might have caused such a braking problem. Five weeks later, on Dec. 10, 2016, the same thing happened on another city street as I approached a red light except this time the ABS engaged because the road was semi-slippery after a snowfall and I had to brake a bit harder. Again, the brakes didn't work properly and I had to press them to the floor. My car ended up sliding through the intersection (against a red light) before coming to a stop. Luckily, there wasn't any other traffic or obstacles in the intersection or I would have hit them as well. I did some research on the internet and discovered that there have been numerous similar complaints with Ford Fusion ABS systems, including a number of complaints made to NHTSA. (there's also a video about the problem at youtube.) I discovered that the problem is often misdiagnosed and that the cause if a faulty/defective ABS hydraulic control unit needing to be replaced in a significant number of Fusion built within the last several years. These Ford Fusion with faulty ABS need to be recalled before there are injuries and fatalities, if there haven't been already.

- Saint Paul, MN, USA

This is the second time we've had issues with the braking system on our 2009 Ford Fusion. The first occurrence was in August 2016, the second on November 30, 2016. This last time I took the vehicle to the local Ford dealer and had them do a thorough diagnostic check on the braking system. The dealership says there is nothing wrong with our brakes that they can document or replicate. However, the failure of the breaking system, temporarily, nearly caused an accident for my son this week. Back in August it was my wife that had the episode. In August she was driving on a wet blacktop four-lane divided highway and hit the breaks for a car slowing in front of her. Immediately she had almost no breaking function, with the pedal being extremely soft and going almost to the floor. This was not a case of pulsating ABS action like normal. She was able to pump the brakes aggressively for a while and gradually get back enough breaking function to drive the car home. On inspection the brake reservoir was full. This week, the same thing happened on a perfectly dry concrete four-lane divided highway during a braking action when preparing to make a turn onto a side road. He nearly hit a brick sign at the college campus entrance. He pumped the brakes repeatedly and gradually had enough breaking function return that he could drive slowly to the parking lot. I took off work and drove down to meet him and tested the vehicle. The master cylinder was full to the normal level. There was no sign of leaking on any of the calipers or on the ground below. The brake pedal was still very soft but after pumping gradually returned to normal so that I could drive the vehicle home very slowly. We've now almost had two accidents when the brakes fail temporarily and without warning, then gradually return to normal operation. What is going on here? this is really scary and frustrating.

- Oxford, MI, USA

After applying brakes and engaging the ABS while the road was wet or had snow on it, the pedal goes almost completely to the floor and stays soft until I continuously pump the brakes to get it back to normal. The car has done this approximately 6 times over the past 3 years I've owned the car. It has 115K miles on it. A lot of people are having the same issue and supposedly it is the hcu. I have not gotten it fixed yet due to the price and availability of the part.

- Chesterfield, VA, USA

While driving on the highway during rush hour traffic stopped ahead of me. I applied the brakes to stop and the pedal went to the floor and activated the antilock brakes. This did not provide any significant braking and I rear ended the truck in front of me. About 2 months prior I hit a drainage grate and upon applying the brakes there was no brakes. After driving for about 20 minutes the brakes felt normal after applying the brakes hard a couple of times. Took the car to the dealer and had the brakes checked and the only thing found was the rotors needed to be turned. The car has about 79,000 miles.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the brake pedal traveled to the floorboard several times without warning. The brake calipers and brake pads were replaced more than twice, but the failure continued. The contact was uncertain if the hcu failed. The manufacturer was not notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 145,000.

- Brownstown , MI, USA

Immediately after a braking situation where the ABS system was activated, my brake pedal had almost no resistance and it went all the way to the floor to achieve moderate braking. Had to shift to park and pump the brakes to get back some resistance. If I had needed to do additional braking in this scenario I would assume I would have crashed due to lack of braking ability. Car has 72000 miles on it currently and this problem has been experienced probably 5 times in the past year. After maybe 20 minutes of additional stop and go driving, the brakes appear to be normal. This happened on a city street and the ABS was activated due to braking when tire went over a smooth metal manhole cover.

- Severna Park, MD, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Ford Fusion. While driving at any speed, the vehicle drove over a bump. The contact depressed the brake pedal and it traveled to the floorboard before the vehicle stopped. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The failure was duplicated; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The failure recurred numerous times. The manufacturer was notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000.

- Columbia, SC, USA

Summer of 2016 the warning light for air bag came on. Oct 20 2016 took the car into dealership. They had the car for two days, never mentioned any recall, needed the car for the weekend, they wanted me to pay for the part in advance before ordering it. Do not recall how warning light appeared on the the dash board.

- Ann Arbor, MI, USA

In situations where a driver is braking and your ABS becomes enabled, there is a chance that valves inside the hydraulic control unit (hcu) may stick, greatly reducing pressure sent to the caliper/brake. The valves may continue to be stuck until either the ABS is reengaged or until the valves unstick themselves, between periods of hours or weeks. While the valves are stuck, brake peddles will feel extremely spongy and are required to be pressed to the floor to actually have the desired effect of slowing the car. Even when pressed all the way down, the effects of braking are severely diminished when compared to properly working brakes. Reduced braking effectiveness is obviously extremely dangerous for drivers and could, even during clear conditions, cause an accident. Replacement of the hcu costs several hundred dollars and is ultimately a temporary fix, as the issue will eventually reoccur.

- Broomfield, CO, USA

Brakes go to the floor at different speeds greatly increasing stopping distance and poses significant safety concerns. Brake hcu (hydrolic control unit) /ABS system malfunction poses issues with bumps in the road, and braking while turning even at slow speeds. Brakes return to normal after being pumped and no other malfunctions with brake system (brake booster/master cylinder/brake pads, calipers, brake fluid) operating normal after ase dealership master mechanics can be identified. Occurs in city streets, driveway, parking lots.

- Austin, TX, USA

The ABS hydraulic unit failed while driving after hitting a small bump in the road causing the brake pedal to go to the floor which resulted in poor braking action nearly causing an accident.

- Hoffman Estates, IL, USA

I own a 2009 Ford Fusion sel with the 3.0 engine. I have a problem with the brakes. The brake pedal is very sponge, I have replaced pads, calipers, and the master cylinder. This has not taken care of the problem, I have reviewed other information and it seems this is a very common problem. Ford has not done anything about it. I have researched more of this problem and the only thing left is the ABS pump and motor. My research shows this has taken care of the problem, the cost to do this is approximately $1500. Plus labor cost. I have not had any close call accidents as some of the other complaints. This is and could be a accident waiting to happen. This problem occurs all the time while driving.

- St Johns, MI, USA

Like so many others, I experience a low/soft brake pedal. Brakes have been replaced, lines bled, leaks checked for. The problem is clearly the malfunctioning ABS hydraulic module, described in this youtube video. Https://www.youtube.com/watch?V=0R46_unyyk8 this is a safety issue for which car owners should not be held liable. A recall should be ordered.

- Chicago, IL, USA

Anti lock brake system failed at 80,000 miles and when they went to repair it the drivers side door mechanism failed and froze shut

- Port Angeles, WA, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Ford Fusion. While driving approximately 40 mph, the brakes seized without warning. The contact had to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was driven home and taken to the dealer the following day where it was diagnosed that the anti-lock brake system failed and needed replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact also stated that the failure occurred three other times. The approximate failure mileage was 130,026. Updated 11/01/16

- Livonia, MI, USA

While turning my brake pressure dropped. When this happened I pushed the pedal down and had almost no brake pressure. This happened on two occasions in different months. No lights (ABS) came on. It became very challenging to stop, and I was concerned I was unable to stop. I almost hit the car in front of me the second time. My car is currently at the Ford dealership because I can not get the brake pressure back by pumping the pedal. The car is unsafe to drive. After researching on NHTSA I was surprised to find there was no safety bulletin or recall as there are about 26 other similar complaints. Ford should take this very seriously as it is a massive safety issue.

- Clarkston, MI, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Ford Fusion. While driving approximately 25 mph, the brakes failed without warning. The brake pedal traveled to the floorboard when depressed. The failure occurred one other time. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

- Shirley, NY, USA

Of a sudden, brake pedal went all the way to the floor and the car almost didn't stop. There was no warning, and the brakes had worked perfectly just minutes before entering the interstate. There are 65 complaints on file for exactly this, at carcomplaints.com - almost all show misdiagnosis by Ford dealerships and repair shops.

- Rosenberg, TX, USA

I was driving at 40 mph on the highway in rain, ABS kicked in because the car started sliding, brake pedal vibrated and after it stopped the brake pedal feels loose. I have to push the pedal almost all the way to the floor for brakes to engage. I've tried pumping my brakes but it's been a week since it occurred and I've experienced no change. I took it to a Ford dealership and was told the master cylinder needs to be replaced but they seemed so clueless I feel like it was just their best guess. I've researched the problem and I've found out that hundreds of people are wasting money on their cars trying to fix the same issue I'm having. I've recently received the airbag recall notification on my car and now a problem with my brakes has occurred. I don't feel safe in my car anymore and I hope Ford will take notice to the hundreds of complaints about the brake system.

- Columbia, SC, USA