Our 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid went to the dealer for a reflash of the software that controls the braking system. We have not yet experienced any problem with the car, but you don't want to mess around with brake problems, especially after we heard the first-hand description of the problem that Consumer Reports expereinced in their Fusion Hybrid.
Their car went into a fail-safe mode as one of their drivers rolled up to a stop sign. The regenerative system reportedly cut out and the car sailed through the stop sign, warning lights ablaze.
Before we took ours in, we first had to see if the fix applied to us. Ford started using the new software on the assembly line on October 18, 2009, so any Fusion Hybrid or Milan Hybrid made before October 17 has the old software. Our door jamb states only that our Fusion Hybrid was made in October 2009, so our car could fall on either side of the issue. A call to the Ford dealer was in order.
Us: "I'm calling about the brake software reflash on my Fusion Hybrid."
Them: "That's not us, that's Toyota."
Us: "Check your computer for Customer Satisfaction Program 10B13 or TSB number 09-22-11."
Them, after typing a few seconds: "Oh, yes. What's your VIN?" We tell them. More typing, "Yes, your car was built on October 4th. Bring it in."
So we did.
It was all over in ten minutes. It was a simple reflash of the software through the diagnostic port. No charge, of course.
But look what the invoice says ...
It says "RECALL" twice. Not "TSB", not "Customer Satisfation Program"-- it says "RECALL".
Of course it also lists our car as a Ford Escape, but that seems like a simple manual entry error. The VIN is the thing that ensures they're doing what's required for a Ford Fusion Hybrid.
If we have safety issues (and make no mistake, a brake problem that affects stopping is a safety issue) let's not beat around the bush and play semantics with the word recall. If recall is the internal word, and recall is a word that will compel owners to come to the dealer for a fix, then that had better be the way it is communicated to the public.
I've put a call in to Ford for an explanation. I'll let you know what I learn when they call back.
Update: Ford does not yet have an answer. They are researching the issue. They are just as confused by the "Escape" model indication as we are.
UPDATE 2: According to Ford sources, "10" stands for 2010 and the "B" in the 10B13 code stands for "customer satisfaction". Safety issues would have had an "S". "E" is for emissions. "C" is for regulatory compliance issues. There are others.
These codes are used to denote different types of service campaigns covered under warranty. They must appear on the invoice for a dealer to get paid. According to Ford, the use of the word "recall" here does not relate to the NHTSA definition of the word. A true NHTSA recall is something that relates to a safety condition, an emissions defect or a regulatory compliance problem: 10S, 10E or 10C in Ford-speak. The Ford spokesman I spoke to emphasizes the the B in 10B13 means this is a customer satisfaction issue, not a recall as NHTSA defines the term. But the Ford coding system for logging the fix and applying for repayment on such "B" customer satisfaction issues is shared.
That's all well and good, but I have a hard time with the premise that brake interruptions (loss of regenerative brakes in this case) can be anything other than a safety concern. If I blow through a stop sign, sure, I'm unsatisfied, but I might also hit something or someone.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 3,021 miles
firstwagon says:
12:16 PM, 02/ 5/10
So Toyota goes public and admits a potential problem while Ford hides it under a "TSB".
Interesting.
hank_ford says:
12:26 PM, 02/ 5/10
Toyota only went public after people died and was forced by the government...at least Ford is being proactive about it. It might just all be semantics - or just the way that person at the dealer inputted it...
actualsize says:
12:29 PM, 02/ 5/10
We'll see. Ford PR is checking in to it for me.
Dan
brn says:
12:39 PM, 02/ 5/10
First:
This issue is one where the traditional brakes kick in SOONER than is necessary. Why does that need to be a recall instead of a TSB? Consumer Reports need to explain how that would cause them go go through an intersection.
Second:
"That's not us, that's Toyota."
That's funny, in a sad kind of way. Your SA was an idiot.
brn says:
12:49 PM, 02/ 5/10
Completely unrelated...
Looking at the sticker, the max pass + cargo weight is 850lbs. The Edmunds Gross Weight minus the Curb Weight is 981lbs. What am I missing?
gharry says:
01:37 PM, 02/ 5/10
That is some serious irony to call it a "fail-safe" mode, which prevented it from actually stopping.
Safe ≠ Can't stop.
wrinklebump says:
01:42 PM, 02/ 5/10
What in the deuce is going on here
mzbamf says:
01:52 PM, 02/ 5/10
I don't think anyone has died from the prius problem. It seems to be the same issue between the fusion prius.
nealibob says:
02:01 PM, 02/ 5/10
Why is emergency braking not tested in driver's license exams?
firstwagon says:
02:45 PM, 02/ 5/10
Good question nealibob
Lately I've heard a lot of people crying "I couldn't stop". Even if your brakes fail altogether you still have your emergency brake.
If you are a good driver (don't tailgate or wait until the last second to stop at a light) then the emergency brake will stop you with ease.
That doesn't eliminate the concern for your main brakes failing but it does bring in question why anyone would crash because of it.
dg0472 says:
03:23 PM, 02/ 5/10
brn,
The early kick-in causes the pedal to drop much farther than usual. The tester's pedal went down so far, he thought the hydraulic system had failed due to past experience. He said he thought he had pushed it all the way down, though admits that once Ford simulated the problem, the car still could be stopped and that he drove the car on in and was able to stop, though with much greater pedal travel and much less pedal feel. Still, effective braking is dependent on knowing how hard to push based on experience just as much as effective steering or accelerating, so something like this could easily cause a wreck before someone could recover and adjust.
One thing to remember in TSB vs. Recall is that NHTSA has to approve everything. They've stalled recalls before because they felt the letter to the customer didn't effective explain the risk to safety. Also, they must then track the recall and report how effective it was. It may turn into a recall, but if they can get all the cars fixed before NHSTA takes action, they avoid all the tracking and hassle.
gdmstrb says:
03:34 PM, 02/ 5/10
"This issue is one where the traditional brakes kick in SOONER than is necessary. Why does that need to be a recall instead of a TSB? Consumer Reports need to explain how that would cause them go go through an intersection."
I'm with you on that one.
santiagofdz says:
04:15 PM, 02/ 5/10
Toyota wasn't proactive, the US government plainly states it pretty much cornered them into making a "voluntary" recall. Like Hank says, at least Ford beat the government to the punch by doing it before more bad press snowballed into a big mess a-la Toyota(which would be the last thing a recovering auto maker that's picking up momentum needs).
I agree with Dan that this is most certainly a big safety issue. You can be know how to pop a car into neutral or know how to threshold brake and how to do a full emergency stop (something apparently beyond the grasp of some drivers in Toyota's case), but it's no use if the pedal suddenly provides you with very different feedback. If you're good, you'll recognize and adjust to deal with the problem but that means you'll no longer do it subconsciously and have to do it consciously. Flicking that switch in your brain takes some seconds, especially if you've never encountered this before and need to think a course of action and do it...and in some situations you might not have that much time to spare.
Doing the e-brake thing would be possible, assuming the car has a hand operated parking brake and you're going in a straight line. If it's foot operated and/or turning you might just end up going sideways instead of understeering off the road.
actualsize says:
04:20 PM, 02/ 5/10
@gdmstrb: not quite. As I understand it, the first inch of pedal travel in the Ford Fusion Hybrid is what we call "idle stroke" in that the pedal moves, but the master cylinder isn't yet pushing any fluid. Regular cars, like a standard Fusion, might have only a 1/4 inch of this so the pedal isn't too touchy, but no more. But in this hybrid, the extra idle stoke delays friction brake application so the regenerative system can do it's work without competing with the friction brakes in that first inch. After all, maximizing regen to send as much energy as possible to the batteries is what gives hybrids most of their impressive fuel mileage.
In the Consumer Reports failure, the regenerative system shut down entirely. What the driver was left with was unclear to him at the time, but what he would have felt was a first inch of travel with absolutely NO brake response. The idle stroke is mechanically fixed at one inch, so the master would not have pushed any fluid until he made up that inch, regen braking notwithstanding, by pushing the pedal much further than usual. Once through that inch, friction braking would finally come in.
Having the pedal essentially go dead under your foot in the region you expect response has got to be disconcerting. There is little time to process what has happened and compensate. It's going to add feet or yards to your stopping distance, at best. If you're coming up on another car or a busy intersection, that could put you in a tough spot. I trust that traffic is low near the CR test track in rural Connecticut.
Dan
cr_driver says:
04:39 PM, 02/ 5/10
Lovely post.
Man, u can trust Dan.
Cool.
brn says:
04:40 PM, 02/ 5/10
To summarize what I'm hearing: It is the regen braking system that's failing, by disengaging early. The traditional brakes are functioning properly, but the lack of regen brakes during the first inch are throwing people off.
I can understand why this is disconcerting. I still have trouble understanding why the CR guy didn't jam on the brakes.
subytrojan says:
04:59 PM, 02/ 5/10
Possible service advisor errors on the repair order/paperwork...
This reminds me of why I quit working as a warranty administrator. Competent service advisors are a rare breed.
zoomzoomn says:
05:50 AM, 02/ 8/10
One thing that your average consumer has no idea about when it comes to hybrids is that the braking system, at least on the Fords, is totally electronic. There is absolutely no hydraulic link between the brake pedal and the brakes. It is an electro-hydraulic unit that handles everything braking via input from travel sensors in the brake pedal. The tension you feel when depressing the brake pedal in these cars is a spring in the assembly! I have always found this thought to be quite scary...on a BRAKING system, but who am I to say. That said, the reflash was likely to enhance a more natural feel when switching from regenerative to hydraulic braking.
greghodg says:
12:51 PM, 02/ 8/10
It's not totally electronic. As actualsize discussed above, there is a mechanical failover mode that is used in case of regenerative failure, or as I understand it, "normal" heavy braking.
bimmerjay says:
11:32 AM, 02/10/10
@zoomzoomn,
All Fusions have mechanically-linked conventional hydraulic braking systems with electronic enhancements, and the Hybrid models have an added regenerative function. It is not a brake-by-wire system as you described.