19S54 Recall for Reduced Braking Ability (2006-1010 Fusion, Milan, Zephyr, MKZ)

[bbf2530]

On 4/10/2021 at 3:17 AM, drolds1 said:

LOL.  My wife would notice.  But then, I have a picture of her helping me put slicks on my car at the dragstrip , ca. 1970. She married me anyway?

 

Hi drolds1. I had lost track of this thread until DerekH just posted...lol. Even forgot to come back to finish the recall story.

 

Your wife must be a very good and very understanding woman! You're a lucky man!

 

I should correct my previous statements by adding that my wife actually would notice the horsepower difference, but would not really care about the horsepower difference.

 

So to finalize my recall story. All did turn out well. Lincoln had my car for about 3 extra days or so. They received the new ABS HCU from the parts depot, installed it etc. Brakes are now as good or even better than new.

 

Good luck.

 

EDIT- I edited out my typos and additional/superfluous question marks...?

Edited March 10, 2022 by bbf2530

[drolds1]

5 hours ago, bbf2530 said:

 

Hi drolds1. I had lost rack of this thread until DerekH just posted...lol. Even forgot to come back to finish the recall  story.

 

Your wife must be a very good and very understanding woman! You're a lucky man! ?

 

I should correct my previous statements by adding that my wife actually would notice the horsepower difference, but would not really care about the horsepower difference.

 

So to finalize my recall story. All did turn out well. Lincoln had my car for about 3 days or so. They received the new ABS HCU from the parts depot, installed it etc. Brakes are now as good or even better than new.

 

Good luck. ?

Glad it's fixed, bbf.?

 

And yes, she's a very understanding woman.  And I am indeed a lucky man.  She's put up with my car craziness for 50 years now.  Her friends don't like when she drives anywhere because they know they'll be walking some distance when she parks away from all the other cars.?

[nanookvd]

Appears Ford has decided to move forward and replace the HCU units free of charge.  I received a letter a couple weeks ago, Customer Satisfaction Program 21N11. 

 

After 19S45/20S14 (replacement of DOT3 to DOT4 fluid & performance test) has been completed, and you're still not happy with the brake pedal travel, they will replace the HCU free of charge.  This is a one time service and does have an expiration date of 15 years after vehicle has been put into service (purchase date).  If your vehicle is 2007 or earlier, you have until the end of this year to get the HCU replaced.

Edited January 28, 2022 by nanookvd
Grammar

[popeyz]

On 1/27/2022 at 7:59 PM, nanookvd said:

Appears Ford has decided to move forward and replace the HCU units free of charge.  I received a letter a couple weeks ago, Customer Satisfaction Program 21N11. 

 

After 19S45/20S14 (replacement of DOT3 to DOT4 fluid & performance test) has been completed, and you're still not happy with the brake pedal travel, they will replace the HCU free of charge.  This is a one time service and does have an expiration date of 15 years after vehicle has been put into service (purchase date).  If your vehicle is 2007 or earlier, you have until the end of this year to get the HCU replaced.

do i justshow back up at dealer to get this done?

[bbf2530]

18 minutes ago, popeyz said:

do i justshow back up at dealer to get this done?

 

Hi popeyz. You call the Dealer and make a service appointment. Are you having brake issues?

 

Let us know how you make out and good luck.

[DerekH]

2 hours ago, popeyz said:

do i justshow back up at dealer to get this done?

 

The letter says to call your dealer with your VIN and schedule a service appointment for Customer Satisfaction Program 21N11.

[popeyz]

2 hours ago, bbf2530 said:

 

Hi popeyz. You call the Dealer and make a service appointment. Are you having brake issues?

 

Let us know how you make out and good luck.

well i went to dealer previuosly for recall , when i went topick up car had no pedal . they kept car for a wek and finally just put a new master cylinder in it (2008 fusion se 5 speed) . pedal was better but it got lower and lower . i really cannot be without my car for workso ive just been adapting ...

 

[popeyz]

23 minutes ago, DerekH said:

 

The letter says to call your dealer with your VIN and schedule a service appointment for Customer Satisfaction Program 21N11.

thank you for responding.

 

[bbf2530]

13 hours ago, popeyz said:

well i went to dealer previuosly for recall , when i went topick up car had no pedal . they kept car for a wek and finally just put a new master cylinder in it (2008 fusion se 5 speed) . pedal was better but it got lower and lower . i really cannot be without my car for workso ive just been adapting ...

 

 

Hi popeyz. I understand. However, nothing can be done if the Dealer does not have the car in the shop.

 

Also...did you pay for the previous repair? If yes, you could be due a refund for that brake work, since it very well could have been/was caused by the HCU problem addressed in this recall.

 

Get your receipts together and ask the Dealer and/or Ford Customer Relations about being refunded for the cost of that prior brake work.

 

And I also have a thread (in this forum for the MKZ one) about the first recall and what happened with my MKZ.

I had the sinking pedal problem for some time. I was notified of the original recall nearly 2 years ago and made an appointment once the parts were available. They bled the DOT 3 fluid and refilled with DOT 4 (step 1) and told me the HCU passed the inspection test. I went to pick up my car, drove 6 feet to back up out of the Service area parking spot, and the brakes were worse than before. Went right back in and got my Service Advisor. He came out, checked the brakes and said, "This car never should been released to you in this condition.".

So they kept it, ordered a new HCU (step 2) and replaced it. All has been well ever since.

 

Keep us updated and good luck.

[bb56]

My daughter's 08 Fusion AWD just lost most of it's brake pedal. The travel is about an inch from the floor.  I just transferred the car from me to her and now she has to try to get the HCU service Recall done.

First dealer in RI she called, told her they needed to see if they had the parts in stock and they would call  back. No call from them by the next day, so she called another dealer in RI. The service dept told her the parts will take up to 6 months to come in!

She called the first dealer back to ask if they had the parts. They said yes but also told her she would have to leave the car for several weeks!!! They would also do all other necessary work on the car at her expense. I'm sure they would do a complete brake job for many $$$. So I suggested she call the dealer in MA that handled her airbag (while I owned it).

They told her that they had the parts and that first avail appointment was 10 days from now, and it will take a couple of hours. So she booked it.

I am not really surprised but so very disappointed at how these FORD dealers will take advantage of a recall visit, or simply make something up if they don't want to perform the service. This is crazy and they wonder why we want the 'Right to Repair' bills put into law. I'll post again after the HCU recall service to update on the honesty of this latest dealer.

Has anyone had similar experiences?

[bbf2530]

On 2/25/2022 at 4:44 PM, bb56 said:

My daughter's 08 Fusion AWD just lost most of it's brake pedal. The travel is about an inch from the floor.  I just transferred the car from me to her and now she has to try to get the HCU service Recall done.

First dealer in RI she called, told her they needed to see if they had the parts in stock and they would call  back. No call from them by the next day, so she called another dealer in RI. The service dept told her the parts will take up to 6 months to come in!

She called the first dealer back to ask if they had the parts. They said yes but also told her she would have to leave the car for several weeks!!! They would also do all other necessary work on the car at her expense. I'm sure they would do a complete brake job for many $$$. So I suggested she call the dealer in MA that handled her airbag (while I owned it).

They told her that they had the parts and that first avail appointment was 10 days from now, and it will take a couple of hours. So she booked it.

I am not really surprised but so very disappointed at how these FORD dealers will take advantage of a recall visit, or simply make something up if they don't want to perform the service. This is crazy and they wonder why we want the 'Right to Repair' bills put into law. I'll post again after the HCU recall service to update on the honesty of this latest dealer.

Has anyone had similar experiences?

 

Hi bb56 and welcome to the Ford Fusion Forum. The only Dealer that was honest with you so far was the last one.

 

The ABS recall parts are available, so should not take 6 months to get. Perhaps a few days if they needed to be ordered. And the actual recall work can be performed in one day at the most. In other words, drop it off in the morning, and pick it up at end of day...at the most. It is a several hour job. No need for the car to be left there "for several weeks".

 

The Recall (short version) consists of draining the old DOT3 brake fluid. Then flush and refill with DOT4 fluid. Then they test the ABS brake system's HCU (Hydraulic Control Unit). If it passes, the job is done. If it fails, they replace the HCU.

I had the recall performed on my older MKZ last year.

 

I would mention this one warning: My Dealer (who does good work) performed the flush and DOT4 refill. They called later in the day and told me the car was finished. They said the HCU passed the after inspection/test. However, when I went to pick up my car, the brake pedal was worse than when I brought it in. I did not even need to back the car up. I immediately went back in and had the Service Manager come out to check it. He got in, started the car, pressed the brake pedal, put it in reverse, rolled back about 10 feet, pressed the brake pedal, then pulled the car up and parked it. He immediately apologized and said "This car never should have been released to you in this condition". So it did take another day for them to get the new HCU and replace it.

 

So unless your daughter is a bit car knowledgeable and will speak up for herself, I would recommend you may want to handle at least picking the car up, to make sure all is well when it is finished. If you can, of course.

 

Let us know how you make out and good luck.

Edited February 26, 2022 by bbf2530
Correct my usual typos.

[bb56]

Thanks @bbf2530 - I'm her ride to/from so I'll be sure to check it out. I'll let her do it first because we all need to experience and learn how to handle car dealership shenanigans. I'll just double check the work. 

We had planned to replace rotors and pads already when this happened before the parts came in. I think we'll do it anyway hoping to ward off any inflated repair requirements before bringing it in.

 

Cheers.

 

[bb56]

UPDATE: This third dealer was great and true to their Ford Recall Commitment. My daughter took her car in at 9:30 and sat in the waiting room and she didn't want/need a ride. They pulled the car in around 10:15 and did the flush/bleed with Dot 4 fluid. She doesn't know if they replaced the HCU. They also did the latest airbag recall service and it was out by noon. She tells me the brakes feel great. (It should with new front rotors and pads that we put on the week before.)

She's happy, I'm happy.

[DerekH]

Glad to hear it worked out! Sorry to hear you had to work so hard to get to that point.

[drolds1]

Thanks for the update, bb56.   There are some good dealers out there.

[AndrewInAJ]

Ok so I bought a 2010 Fusion Hybrid last year. The airbag is the only open recall on it. However, a couple weeks ago I experienced the exact same behavior with the brakes. Foot nearly to floor to stop it while pulling up to a stop light at a busy intersection. Flashing lights saying to check brake system. Mechanic hooked it up to the computer which showed a fault in the HCU and the fluid is gel-like.

But my car was made in November of 2009 and the cutoff is July 2009. Asinine that Ford wouldn't include it in the recall group given such a huge safety issue. Have any of you had a slight out of the date range vehicle actually get covered by the recall? Have any dealerships made an exception or extended the recall to cover your vehicle?

I filed an NHTSA report about the incident with my vehicle and hopefully enough others have as well to force Ford to cover these. The car isn't really worth all that much to drop $1500+ to fix it.