NHTSA Complaint #11352355 — 2008 FORD FOCUS

IF YOU HIT YOUR BRAKES AND THE ABS ACTIVATES MOMENTARILY BECAUSE YOU HIT A BUMP WHILE BRAKING OR JUST BECAUSE YOU HIT THE PEDAL A BIT TOO HARD, A LOSS OF BRAKES OCCURS. THE VALVE INSIDE THE HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT RESPONSIBLE FOR ACTIVATION OF THE ABS FAILS TO CLOSE COMPLETELY CAUSING FLUID BYPASS AND NO BRAKE PRESSURE RESULTING IN THE PEDAL FALLING TO THE FLOOR. AFTER SOME TIME, THE PEDAL RETURNS TO NORMAL FUNCTION AND THE HCU VALVE SEEMINGLY SEALS BE IT THE SAME DRIVE, OR A COUPLE DRIVES . THIS OCCURS AT RANDOM, ONLY WHEN THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF BRAKE PRESSURE AND ROUGH ROAD CONDITIONS COMBINE FOR THE ABS TO ACTIVATE. HOWEVER, THE BREAKS DO NOT RETURN IMMEDIATELY, SO YOU ARE FORCED TO DRIVE WITH VIRTUALLY NO BRAKES TILL IT FINALLY RESOLVES ON ITS OWN. THIS HAS HAPPENED IN STORMS, WHERE I HAD TO STOP HARD DUE TO DEBRIS IN THE ROAD. THIS IS ESPECIALLY PROBLEMATIC WHEN EXITING A HIGHWAY AND THE EXIT RAMP IS MILLED, SO WHEN YOU ARE BREAKING AND HIT THE GROOVED SECTION THE BRAKES DISAPPEAR. THIS ALSO OCCURS IF YOU HIT A ROUGH PATCH OF ROAD OR POTHOLE WHILE BREAKING. THIS IS INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS, WITH THE ROOT CAUSE BEING A DEFECTIVE VALVE DESIGN IN THE HCU AND IS A COMMON ISSUE ACROSS THE FORD LINEUP. THE ISSUE IS THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT, HARD TO DIAGNOSE, AND ALWAYS MISDIAGNOSED AS AIR IN THE SYSTEM. THE ROOT CAUSE IS A FAULTY HCU CAUSING A VALVE TO FAIL TO SEAT PROPERLY AND ALLOW PRESSURE BLOWBY. THIS IS GOING TO LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE IT IS NOT PREDICTABLE, AND IT DOES NOT RECOVER UNTIL SOME TIME HAS PASSED. SO IMAGINE A FOCUS EXITING THE HIGHWAY AND LOSING THE BRAKES UNEXPECTEDLY AND FOR THE REST OF THE DRIVE - THAT IS A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN. NO INDICATION OF ANYTHING ABNORMAL IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER, NO LIGHTS. THIS HAPPENED AGAIN THE OTHER DAY AND IT HAS YET TO RESET ITSELF - FORD NEEDS TO FIX IT!! LOSS OF BRAKES FROM HITTING A BUMP - SO DANGEROUS! *LN*JB