NHTSA Brake Complaint

[lolder]

Here's a link to the NHTSA complaint about the brake software problem. http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/complain/complaintsummary.cfm?odi_id=10305554&prod_id=664803&cmpt_id=200&type=1

You'll see near the end that the Ford Factory showed the Dealer another place to look for the trouble code.

Edited February 19, 2010 by lolder

[rfruth]

Nice job, is there a trouble code # ?

[lolder]

Nice job, is there a trouble code # ?

I don't know it. I just found this report. It's not my report.

[Grey]

Sounds like the same issue Ford is addressing. I'll bet the brake pedal didn't go all the way to the floor - just down an inch or so from "normal". I suspect the engineer replaced the brake booster to send it back to the brake engineers for testing, based on the customer description of the problem. The fact that everything was ok after a restart makes the complaint suspect. Even if the brake booster failed, you would still have manual brakes.

 

All of us on this forum know that if we experience the lack of regen braking, just push harder on the brake pedal.

[lolder]

If Ford had said in the FFH owners guide and in the press releases and recall letter that the pedal needed to be pressed (much) FARTHER DOWN for braking when this event occurs, I would have no problem. They did not and statements like "different brake response" and "continuing to press on the brake" have not prepared drivers for the startling event. All of the few that have experienced this have described it as "loss of brakes" including the consumer magazine test driver and have used the emergency brake or coasted to a stop. It is in fact, as Ford claims, impossible to lose all the brakes due to the clever design of the system. A simple sentence including " (much) FARTHER DOWN " would have made this a non-issue. I wouldn't even quibble whether or not they used "much". Even an updated computerized brake system may be subject to failure since it is made by humans although the incident rate may diminish to almost nothing. The manual backup system will always remain available with MUCH FARTHER PEDAL TRAVEL.

 

Lee

Edited February 19, 2010 by lolder

[akirby]

If Ford had said in the FFH owners guide and in the press releases and recall letter that the pedal needed to be pressed (much) FARTHER DOWN for braking when this event occurs, I would have no problem. They did not and statements like "different brake response" and "continuing to press on the brake" have not prepared drivers for the startling event. All of the few that have experienced this have described it as "loss of brakes" including the consumer magazine test driver and have used the emergency brake or coasted to a stop. It is in fact, as Ford claims, impossible to lose all the brakes due to the clever design of the system. A simple sentence including " (much) FARTHER DOWN " would have made this a non-issue. I wouldn't even quibble whether or not they used "much". Even an updated computerized brake system may be subject to failure since it is made by humans although the incident rate may diminish to almost nothing. The manual backup system will always remain available with MUCH FARTHER PEDAL TRAVEL.

 

Lee

 

I don't know about you, but if I was trying to brake the vehicle and it wasn't stopping I'd have the pedal pushed all the way to the floor in about a nanosecond.

[seamusbleu]

I don't know about you, but if I was trying to brake the vehicle and it wasn't stopping I'd have the pedal pushed all the way to the floor in about a nanosecond.

That was my same thought.

[oldschool1962]

I filed mine the other day. It's about the brakes but then it continues to include the rest of the car too.