Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2011 Ford Fusion Hybrid owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 10-15 MPH and depressing the brake pedal several times, the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact drove in a circle and slammed on the brakes, and the vehicle responded. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the failure could be related to the ABS module. The mechanic informed the contact that it was a common failure and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was driven to the dealer and the contact was informed that the ABS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed with internal electronic failure of the ABS module. The dealer informed the contact that the VIN was not included in an unknown recall. The dealer informed the contact that parts were not available for the repair. …
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to stop as needed. The contact was informed that the Service Brake warning light illuminated. The vehicle eventually came to a rolling stop as the contact depressed the brake pedal to the floorboard. The vehicle resumed normal operation after being restarted. An independent mechanic was notified of the failure and informed the contact that he would not be able to diagnose the vehicle until the failure was persistent. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 205,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brakes became inoperable. The brake and stabilizer warning lights were illuminated. The LCD screen displayed an electronic braking message. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the failure was due to the ABS control module. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to NHTSA for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.
Brake failure..Ford Fusion a.b.s... I was exiting a parking lot at approximately 20mph for a right hand turn at a stop sign. As I approached the stop sign, I went to slow down and stop, and the brake pedal went all the way to the floor- the car did not slow or stop. I grabbed the emergency brake and pulled it up, and the car still did not slow or stop. I went beyond the stop sign and rolled into a city street. There was oncoming traffic so I accelerated to be ahead of the approaching traffic. I very slowly drove the 1 mile to my home. The ABS light, brake light, and check engine light were all on. The vehicle was towed to a Ford dealer. The brakes checked out OK, however, the a.b.s. System failed. The a.b.s. Module and a.b.s. Control were faulty. The same model parts replaced the faulty parts!!! When will the brakes fail again?? Only 63,000 miles on the vehicle. …
My 2011 Fusion only has 61K miles. All of a sudden, couple of days ago, the break would go all the way to the floor and the car would barely stop. I had to use the parking brake to stop. Luckily, I was in a parking lot and trying to pull out of a slot when this happened. The dash had the wrench symbol and also brake system warning and service advancetrac message. I barely managed to stop and turned off the engine. And about an hour later, when I started the vehicle the warning messages went away and the vehicle behaved normally. Without taking chances, I took the vehicle to a local Ford dealership and explained clearly what happened. They ran some diagnostics and determined that the ABS ECU and the ABS hcu unit need to be replaced (cost $3,125). …
Driving in city traffic, probably about 25 MPH and went to brake as someone merged into my lane but pedal went to the floor with no resistance. Warning lights went off on the dash regarding brake failure and ABS and advance trac. I was able to pull the emergency brake and move into the middle turn lane to avoid hitting the car in front of me. From that point on brakes ceased to function reliably--sometimes jerking to an almost stop and then nothing, sometimes just nothing, had to continue to use the emergency brake to get home and to the dealership in the am and it is basically a miracle that I made it safely. This is clearly not a mechanical part wearing out--like brake pads etc. But rather some kind of computer failure that happens without warning and is extremely dangerous.
In a shopping plaza went to stop at a stop sign and brakes became spongy and car was very difficult to stop where normally expected. When finally stopped it seemed to want to lurch ahead dashboard had a red " brake service" warning light and then a number a number of yellow warnings appeared. Happened again at another stop sign on my way home. Drove to the nearest dealer where car is serviced and they pulled a code c1012 memory continuous code. They could not recreate the problem and released the car back to me. In sep 2015 car had software updated after a " tool" kept appearing. After you turned off car they brakes seemed to work OK. I'm concerned if this happens on freeway.
After filling up my tank, I proceeded to exit out of a quiktrip parking lot, back onto the street, when my brakes failed to stop the car. Luckily enough, this did not cause an accident and I was able to pull the car over in a nearby parking lot. After pulling over the service advancetrac light came on, in addition to the check brake system light. I checked the fluids, which all seemed to be fine. However, the brakes would not stop the vehicle unless pressed completely to the floor. This drastically affected the stop time which would definitely lead to an increased risk of an accident. I ended up having to get the vehicle towed as I did not want to risk driving it home.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion Hybrid. While driving approximately 30 MPH, the brake pedal traveled to the floorboard when it was depressed and the ABS warning indicator illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to roush Ford (located at 5575 keim circle, columbus, oh 43228, 614-888-333) where it was diagnosed that the brake booster failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA campaign number: 19V904000 (service brakes, hydraulic); however, the recall stopped at models manufactured in 2010. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 58,710.
When driving up an iced hill, TCS light flashed, indicating loss of tire traction. However, after fully losing grip, the braking system disabled itself and the vehicle ended up sliding down with only the basic braking system available to try and stop. Emergency brake was applied to no avail. TCS, TCS off, brake, and ABS indication lights were on. The TCS was not off prior to trying to drive up the hill. Vehicle health report run on car indicated a system failure in the car and requests that I bring it into a dealership immediately. This happened at 2 am in the morning when no dealerships are open.
Brake complaints in other Fusion Hybrid years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2011 Ford Fusion Hybrid?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the brakes of the 2011 Ford Fusion Hybrid, 18% of the model year's 132 complaints. The component named most often is antilock › control unit/module (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2011 Ford Fusion Hybrid brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2011 Ford Fusion Hybrid. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2011 Ford Fusion Hybrid brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 78,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.