Ford Mercury Milan & Ford Fusion Hybrids Brake Problems to be Fixed
Over the past few weeks, the auto industry has been at the center of the news after Toyota issued recalls of millions of vehicles due to reports of sudden acceleration and reports of 2010 Prius Hybrid owners experiencing brake problems, which prompted investigations in the United States.
On the same day the U.S. government began its probe on the 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid, Ford Motor Co. announced plans to fix 17,600 Mercury Milan and Ford Fusion gas-electric hybrids because of a software problem that can give drivers the impression that the brakes have failed, according to an Associated Press news report.
The automaker says the problem occurs in transition between two braking systems and at no time are drivers without brakes. The decision to fix the 2010 model cars came after a test driver for Consumer Reports magazine experienced the problem as he was driving a Fusion Hybrid.
A Ford spokesman stated the braking power seems to drop away as the car makes a transition from regenerative brakes to the conventional system. The Ford hybrids have regenerative brakes, which capture energy from braking to help recharge the battery, in addition to a conventional system that stops the car using hydraulic pressure.
Ford will notify the car owners to bring their cars in for a software fix. The cars were built before Oct. 17, 2009. For models built after that date, Ford fixed the software at the factory to change the feel of the pedal.
Jeff Bartlett, Consumer Reports’ deputy editor for online autos, said one of the magazine’s most experienced test drivers braked while approaching a curve in a Fusion hybrid last month, and the brake pedal dropped about an inch.
