NHTSA Complaint #11703726 — 2013 FORD EDGE

I purchased this vehicle used in August 2025 from the estate of a friend's relative. The records show it was meticulously maintained and no recall notices have been unaddressed. The prior owner used it infrequently and it still has just under 90k miles. There were no major engine issues when my local repair shop (over 12 years and 3 vehicles) inspected all systems, and the vehicle passed for PA state inspection and emissions. However, driving more, I noticed that the brakes would intermittently become "mushy" or "hard" and overall less responsive. I needed to use a lot of force to fully stop over a longer distance. There was also a hissing noise while braking and sometimes the cabin air fan would blast on suddenly. Then, while stopped at a red light and applying the brakes, the engine shut off and check engine light came on. My mechanic detected O2 sensor codes P2195/P2197 indicating "stuck lean." But nothing about the brake booster, and so we cleaned it up a bit and tried to get more of an understanding of the issue. Now I know that the compromised engine vacuum from the booster air leak is impacting the fuel/air balance. Extremely unsafe. This has now happened MANY times while I try to get a good diagnosis and help. It's scary, and makes city driving very challenging. On multiple occasions I feared I would hit other vehicles or would have to "creep" at a light to alleviate the airflow issues from braking. If I have to be at a light for more than a moment, I will put the car in park and foot off the brake. I'd rather risk being honked at or hit, than have the engine dying on me in traffic. When I was able to get to a dealership, I was informed that it was the brake booster. The first thing I found when looking up that part for the 2013 Ford Edge was the recall. The dealership says my VIN was not covered, but it seems more than coincidence that this is the exact problem, now confirmed by the dealership. The part is faulty, and should be replaced by OEM.