Problems · by component
2012 Ford Fusion Hybrid service brakes problems
118 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2012 Ford Fusion Hybrid cite service brakes, 5% of all 2,558 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
118
5% of all complaints
Crashes
17
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
8
Reported by owners
What owners say about the service brakes
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“While driving my 2012 Ford Fusion Hybrid (VIN: [XXX]), the braking system suddenly failed. When applying the brake pedal, there was completely zero brake resistance, and the vehicle failed to engage proper braking power, creating an extremely hazardous driving condition. The vehicle was inspected by a certified Ford dealership (Lithia), which officially documented that the vehicle is "UNSAFE TO DRIVE due to having no brake resistance." The diagnostics confirmed that the ABS Hydraulic Control Unit (HCU), the ABS module, and the Brake Master Cylinder have failed and require total replacement. The dealership also noted that the necessary braking parts are currently completely unavailable (backordered/no parts available). This is the exact same safety defect covered under Ford's previous Safety Recall 19S54 (NHTSA Campaign 19V904) for older Fusion models. However, the recall was never expanded to include the 2012 models, despite them using the same problematic braking infrastructure and experiencing identical catastrophic failures. NHTSA needs to investigate and force Ford to expand the recall to 2011-2012 models before this braking defect causes fatal accidents.”
“The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that his wife was involved in a crash noting that while stopped at a traffic light upon traffic beginning to move forward, the contacts wife took her foot off of the brake pedal slightly however the vehicle continued to lurch forward and in the process bumped into the vehicle in front of her with the entire front end of their vehicle. No property damage was reported. The vehicles came to a stop upon impact. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer. No warning lights were illuminated however the following message was displayed on the instrument panel that read "Brake Failure". A Police report was not filed. The vehicle was not destroyed. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was diagnosed and the contact was advised that the Anti Lock Braking System Module was faulty and would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 134,021.”
“Unknown, my son in law came inside one day and said that the steering wasn't working I didn't realize at the time it didn't have a fluid port. So I wasn't sure how to get it done but then the power was being lost also from the engine. I called to see if it had any recalls but it doesn't supposedly but then why is it that other fusions same year have the issue and it was recalled or is mine just to late to be taken advantage of? I am unable to drive it and the dealership I bought it from didn't offer an extended warranty so it has been sitting on the side of my house because it is unsafe to drive. Please help me.... thank you. [XXX]”
“I was driving down the road around 50 mph and the steering wheel locked up on me and has not let goes in any electrical in the car keeps glitching radio the dash light”
“When coming to a stop the brake pedal went straight to the floor. No warnings were lamps were present. A mechanic checked the brake lines, master cylinder, and calipers and was not able to reproduce the issue. The mechanic deduced that the likely culprit was a faulty ABS control module. Had I been on the interstate or even had another vehicle infront of me, this would have been absolutely disastrous. This seems related to the recall for the older model fusions. This needs to be looked at.”
“The abs control module failed at 59,000 miles. It's difficult driving on wet rainy roads with no ABS System, it's a Hughe safety risk especially on wet roads. The month of August was really rainy and it was extremely stressful driving. I have been looking for a repair but several auto repair shops including FORD can't get the part.”
Showing 6 of 118 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 13, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.