The agency stated that the problem stems from “suspect” front brake jounce hoses, which are the rubber hoses that connect the metal brake line to the brake caliper. They can bend over time, which poses the risk of rupturing and leaking braking fluid, according to NHTSA. When this happens, drivers may notice a change in how a braking system feels. A warning light should also illuminate.
Ford says the brakes do not fail completely because they are designed with two isolated circuits, providing redundancy in the case of a hose rupture. But two customers who experienced reduced braking told Ford that the issue caused them to lose confidence in the braking system, although they kept driving their cars and had no problem stopping.
It is not the first Ford recall involving problems with a front brake jounce hose. An NHTSA document shows Ford began tracking similar problems on another vehicle, the Ford Edge SUV, after reports of hose ruptures in China and South America. For the next two years it investigated vehicles that shared the parts in question while phasing the parts out of its factory production.
Two other vehicles sharing the same braking materials, the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX, were found to have a “low but increasing” rate of hose ruptures over the course of their useful life. In August 2020, the automaker recalled nearly half a million of them to correct the problem.
Owners of the affected vehicles are to be notified by mail from mid-to-late April and instructed to find a Ford or Lincoln dealer for repairs, according to NHTSA.