2 week old car, Check Brake System Vacuum Pump,Brake Booster,Brake Noise when parked

[newfusionuser]

Recently bought a 2015 Ford Fusion Hybrid. After a week, the parking brake light does not go off but I am still able to engage or disengage it. A Check Brake System message pops up every time the car is started. When in park and the brake is stepped on, a weird noise can be heard.

 

Took it to the dealer and initially they found a blown fuse. They determined that the vacuum pump was blowing the fuse every time. They replaced the vacuum pump. They said it was fixed, got the car but the same problem surfaced again. Took it to the dealer again the next morning.

 

Most recent diagnosis, they have to replace the brake booster. That's 2 parts being replaced on a couple weeks old car with 600 miles on it. The brake booster is on backorder so they do not know when it's going to come in. I searched for the part and it seems the brake booster vaccum pump is just one part. Can anybody confirm if there are 2 separate parts?

 

How can this happen to a new car fresh from the factory?

[GrySql]

Hello, welcome to the Forum and sorry to hear of your troubles.

That brake problem is not normal nor is it something we've seen here.

Having parts on back-order is, unfortunately, seen too often.

We have a Ford Rep on this Forum that can help you and possibly speed the repair up, send a PM to FordService to get Meagan on the case.

BTW, the Brake Vacuum Pump makes a bit of noise when operating, it is noticeable.

 

This is the Brake Vacuum Pump (in blue):

 

This is the Brake Booster (in blue):

Edited March 21, 2015 by GrySql

[mwr]

BTW, the Brake Vacuum Pump makes a bit of noise when operating, it is noticeable.

 

When do you hear it? I've never noticed it.

[Automate]

Withe the ICE stopped and HVAC off. Press and release the brake. You should then hear the vacuum pump turn on for a short period..

[lolder]

It may also operate when you approach the car with keyless entry systems.

[corncobs]

It may also operate when you approach the car with keyless entry systems.

or unlocking the car with key. I heard it every morning (I drive) going in to my garage.

[Easy Rider]

 

 

How can this happen to a new car fresh from the factory?

Nothing is perfect. No manufacturer really tests their piece parts anymore, not even the company where they are made.

It's cheaper in the long run to have them "tested" in the final assembly and replaced there if they fail.

 

My FFH had the blower motor fail after about 3 months. Service was good. No additional problems......unless you count the outrageous price for a NAV map update.

 

If you want to get a rough gauge of the engineering and build quality of some of the competition, just browse around in the Volt forum a bit. They have a LOT of problems, yet the owners still seem to love them.

[Texasota]

That's 2 parts being replaced on a couple weeks old car with 600 miles on it. The brake booster is on backorder so they do not know when it's going to come in. I searched for the part and it seems the brake booster vaccum pump is just one part. Can anybody confirm if there are 2 separate parts?

 

How can this happen to a new car fresh from the factory?

Not unusual for parts that are going to fail to do it soon and this is especially true of electrical components. Better to happen early when the bumper to bumper warranty applies then later. It is part of the new car ownership experience. Some brands are worse (or much worse) than others.

[FordService]

Recently bought a 2015 Ford Fusion Hybrid. After a week, the parking brake light does not go off but I am still able to engage or disengage it. A Check Brake System message pops up every time the car is started. When in park and the brake is stepped on, a weird noise can be heard.

 

Took it to the dealer and initially they found a blown fuse. They determined that the vacuum pump was blowing the fuse every time. They replaced the vacuum pump. They said it was fixed, got the car but the same problem surfaced again. Took it to the dealer again the next morning.

 

Most recent diagnosis, they have to replace the brake booster. That's 2 parts being replaced on a couple weeks old car with 600 miles on it. The brake booster is on backorder so they do not know when it's going to come in. I searched for the part and it seems the brake booster vaccum pump is just one part. Can anybody confirm if there are 2 separate parts?

 

How can this happen to a new car fresh from the factory?

Welcome to the forum, newfusionuser, and congrats on joining the Fusion Hybrid family. :)

 

Heading to your dealer for repairs is always a great first step towards a resolution. I can send this up to your customer service manager to check out additional assistance. Please send me a private message with your VIN, best daytime phone number, full name, and dealer name/location. I'll get right on it.

 

...We have a Ford Rep on this Forum that can help you and possibly speed the repair up, send a PM to FordService to get Meagan on the case...

 

Thanks, GrySql!

 

Meagan

[newfusionuser]

Well the dealer, replaced the brake booster, but to expedite the repair they took out a part from another car on the lot and installed it on my car. A new brake booster was on backorder so that's why they did this. Getting the replacement part from another car on the lot, doesn't sit well with me. Maybe it's just the idea, I mean the part is still kinda new right? Slightly used?

[Waldo]

That's 2 parts being replaced on a couple weeks old car with 600 miles on it.

How can this happen to a new car fresh from the factory?

 

Sounds like it's really one bad part and one mis-diagnosis. If you look at quality data for a big-picture view, you'll see that more parts fail when they are new than at any other time. that's just the nature of manufacturing, especially in electronics.

 

Hopefully it is the booster that was really the problem, and as noted, that's a pretty rare failure, which means the odds of a failure related to taking the part off another car are really no different than the odds if they install a brand new part.

 

I'm sure you're set for many more years of happy FFH ownership.

[Easy Rider]

I mean the part is still kinda new right? Slightly used?

If it came from another 2015 model, it probably is "newer" than yours was.

[FordService]

Well the dealer, replaced the brake booster, but to expedite the repair they took out a part from another car on the lot and installed it on my car. A new brake booster was on backorder so that's why they did this. Getting the replacement part from another car on the lot, doesn't sit well with me. Maybe it's just the idea, I mean the part is still kinda new right? Slightly used?

Glad to hear your dealer was able to take care of everything quickly. Don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions in the future. :)

 

Meagan

[markdlondon]

I've been having a similar issue with my 2015 Fusion Hybrid at just 1000 miles. twice now the brake trouble light has come on while driving. the brake pedal gets soft and there is a loud sound similar to shifting sand from the front left when i use the brakes. the first time i thought i may have inadvertently hit the parking brake when getting in the car as the problem was when i first pulled into traffic. setting and releasing the parking brake cleared it. this second time happened tonight after driving a few miles while pulling away from a stop light. I pulled over and after two or three resets of the parking break turning, the ignition on and off and pumping the break pedal the warning lights cleared and the car operated normally. i'm going to take it in tomorrow but now that the lights have cleared i'm afraid they won't find anything.

[hybridbear]

I've been having a similar issue with my 2015 Fusion Hybrid at just 1000 miles. twice now the brake trouble light has come on while driving. the brake pedal gets soft and there is a loud sound similar to shifting sand from the front left when i use the brakes. the first time i thought i may have inadvertently hit the parking brake when getting in the car as the problem was when i first pulled into traffic. setting and releasing the parking brake cleared it. this second time happened tonight after driving a few miles while pulling away from a stop light. I pulled over and after two or three resets of the parking break turning, the ignition on and off and pumping the break pedal the warning lights cleared and the car operated normally. i'm going to take it in tomorrow but now that the lights have cleared i'm afraid they won't find anything.

Contact user FordService on the Forum via Private Message for more assistance.

[FordService]

I've been having a similar issue with my 2015 Fusion Hybrid at just 1000 miles. twice now the brake trouble light has come on while driving. the brake pedal gets soft and there is a loud sound similar to shifting sand from the front left when i use the brakes. the first time i thought i may have inadvertently hit the parking brake when getting in the car as the problem was when i first pulled into traffic. setting and releasing the parking brake cleared it. this second time happened tonight after driving a few miles while pulling away from a stop light. I pulled over and after two or three resets of the parking break turning, the ignition on and off and pumping the break pedal the warning lights cleared and the car operated normally. i'm going to take it in tomorrow but now that the lights have cleared i'm afraid they won't find anything.

 

Welcome, markdlondon!

 

I'll be happy to help smooth this out. Please private message me your VIN, mileage, best daytime phone number, full name, and dealer name/location.

 

Contact user FordService on the Forum via Private Message for more assistance.

 

Thanks!

 

Meagan

[Kewolf85]

My brake booster just went out at 18,000 miles. I hope this doesn't keep happening. Could there be a recall? It seems like a safety issue. I'm worried I bought a lemon :-/

[lolder]

There have been no other reports of this that I can recall.

[FordService]

My brake booster just went out at 18,000 miles. I hope this doesn't keep happening. Could there be a recall? It seems like a safety issue. I'm worried I bought a lemon :-/

 

Hi Kewolf85,

 

Have you had this repaired since your post? Please let me know, and I'll check out how to best assist.

 

Meagan

[markus57]

For reference. Our 2015 Fusion Hybrid had the brake booster replaced a couple of months ago at just under 16K miles for this very problem. Yeah, we don't drive much. The dealer indicated there was a service bulletin on the issue but it was not a warranty repair. Fortunately we had purchased the Ford extended warranty so the repair was completed for the $100 deductible. I didn't realize hybrid brake jobs were such a big deal if fluids need to be drained. They told me the bleed process alone with the regen brakes is a 4 hour job so this would have been a very big bill if not for the warranty. It's been working fine for the last 500 miles.

 

This had been happening intermittently almost since we bought it, freshly ordered and delivered from the factory in late 2014. Early on, the dealer never found a code even if the check brake system light appeared when it happened. It started to occur more frequently and I finally got it to code while in the dealer lot after a couple of attempts. I noticed as it was getting worse that after putting it in gear and releasing the brake, it would just sit there without moving forward. Eventually after a lag of a few seconds it would engage and move forward. I never could 100% reproduce the issue, but it happened more often after setting the parking brake or pressing on the brake in Park to the point where the hydraulics may have been engaged over the electronic braking system. In any case, it appears to be fixed now. I looked at this post several months ago and it spurred me to follow up on the issue, so I thought my experience might be helpful to others.