Rubber brake lines could wear prematurely, leading to a fluid leak, increasing the risk of a crash
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by Sebastien Bell
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Ford must recall 1,280,726 vehicles in the United States over a brake jounce hose that may fail prematurely due to a design flaw. The campaign will cover certain 2013-2018 Ford Fusions and Lincoln MKZs.
In the aftermath of an earlier recall that affected the 2015-2018 Ford Edge and the 2016 Lincoln MKX, Ford discovered that the same issue that had hampered the braking performance of those SUVs could also affect the above-mentioned sedans, and has now taken action.
The flawed part is the brake jounce hose, a short piece of flexible hosing that connects the steel brake lines to the brake caliper. According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the hoses were tested on a rig that only simulated 88 percent of the suspension travel that they would experience in the real world.
Read: Ford Edge, F-150, Lincoln MKX and Corsair Recalled In Three Safety Campaigns
As a result, some of them are failing prematurely. Ford says that elevated failure rates are related to usage, so the more a vehicle’s suspension has traveled (among other factors), the more likely it is to fail prematurely.
In the event that the part does rupture, it will cause a brake fluid leak that could get worse over time. That would, in turn, lead to progressively worse brake performance, which could increase the risk of a crash. Ford notes, however, that customers who have experienced this issue reported that, although their braking performance worsened, they could still stop when the issue first presented itself. In addition to the brake fluid light, which should illuminate on the driver’s dash, drivers will receive some warning that this problem is developing.
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This problem does not affect Fusion and MKZ hybrids, and the bad hose was used between February 3, 2012, and July 19, 2017. After that, a new material was introduced, and Ford’s investigation suggests that it is lasting longer.
Starting April 17th, Ford will begin contacting owners of affected vehicles to inform them of the recall. Owners will be asked to return their vehicle to a nearby dealer, where the brake jounce hose will be replaced with the newly designed part, free of charge. Any owners who have already paid for this repair out of their own pocket will be eligible for reimbursement.
