NHTSA Complaint #10906801 — 2013 FORD FUSION ENERGI

WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR TO WORK APPROACHING A STOP SIGN TO A VERY BUSY HIGHWAY. SHE WENT TO APPLY THE BRAKE WHEN SHE DISCOVERED THAT THE BRAKES HAD COMPLETELY FAILED, STEERING CONTROL HAD BEEN LOST AND THE PARKING BRAKE HAD BEEN DISABLED AS WELL. BASICALLY ALL MEANS OF BRINGING THE VEHICLE TO A CONTROLLED STOP HAD FAILED AT THE SAME TIME. BEING UNABLE TO BRING THE CAR TO A STOP IT CARRIED HER OUT IN THE HIGHWAY WERE LUCKILY THE LARGE TRUCK COMING DOWN THE ROAD WAS PAYING ATTENTION AND MANAGED TO SWERVE AROUND HER. SHE WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO COME TO AN EVENTUAL STOP AT WHICH TIME SHE CALL ME AND I CAME TO LOOK AT IT. I WAS ABLE TO CONFIRM THAT THE CAR HAD NO BRAKES, POWER STEERING WAS LOST AND THAT THE PARKING BREAK WAS IN FAILURE AS WELL. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO BILLY HOWELL FORD WHERE THEY INITIALLY TOLD US THAT THEY SUSPECTED THAT THE WIRING HARNESS HAD GONE TO GROUND BUT FOUND OUT LATER THAT THE ABS MODULE FAILED WHICH HAS CONTROLS INTO THE STEERING AND PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM WHICH IS WHY THOSE FAILED AS WELL. I OPENED A CASE WITH FORD GIVEN THE NEAR CATASTROPHIC NATURE OF THE FAILURE AND ASKED THEM WHAT ARE OPTIONS WERE TO TRADE THE CAR IN BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT ANYONE IN MY FAMILY GOING BACK INTO THE VEHICLE. I WAS TOLD BY FORD THAT THE CAR DOESN'T QUALIFY FOR BUY BACK SINCE IT IS A 2013 AND THAT I DID NOT QUALIFY FOR ANY PROGRAMS. EXPLAINED TO FORD THAT I WAS NOT LOOKING FOR A BUY BACK BUT JUST FOR THEM TO WORK WITH THE DEALER TO ALLOW ME TO TRADE IT IN FOR WHAT I OWE WHICH IS NOT FAR FROM THE TRADE IN VALUE. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THERE IS NOT AN ACTIVE RECALL ON THE FAILURE WE EXPERIENCED SO WE WOULD HAVE TO PAY APPROXIMATELY $2,000 TO HAVE IT REPAIRED AS WELL.