Sudden Brake Failure - Crashed Into Building

[OldSarg]

This past Friday my wife and I were going to dinner and when I was parking the truck in front of the bistro where we planned on having dinner with friends the brakes suddenly failed as I was parking. I was not going very fast but when I stepped on the brake the pedal went to the floor and suddenly the truck jumped the curb. I was pumping the brakes as fast as I could and I think on the 3rd pump the brakes engaged but it was too late we had run into the store front damaging the truck and the store front of two businesses.

After the police and half of the FD showed up we determined the truck was drivable and since I only live about 5 miles from the bistro we decided to just drive home slowly. About half way home I had to make a left turn and when I was slowing down the brakes did the same thing again and again on the 3d or 4th pump the truck stopped with what I would call a hard stop and a grabbing sound in the brakes.

Has anyone else experienced something similar?

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[Toddman45]

Man that's horrible. As I'm sure you probably know there's no way I would drive that thing it would be towed to the dealership if it's under warranty or for repair to your choice of mechanic.

Thankfully I've not run into that issue of heard of it before. Are those the original brakes, how many miles are on your truck, and have you ever had them serviced?

 

[Joe Strummer]

That is totally shocking. Sounds like a brake fluid leak somewhere. I would get the truck/brakes inspected by an independent shop before doing anything.

 

[Carlitos_92]

"Brakes." When was the last time you checked the fluid? Page 191-192 in the owner's manual. I'm guessing it is low/nearly gone, but as Joe said, that probably points to a leak in the system.

Edit: And sorry about the truck. Glad you guys are okay.

 

[icegradner]

If there are no dash lights on, like for ABS, then the suspicion of others that there is a pressure loss in the system is very likely. If there is an ABS light on the dash, it could be a failed module causing the system to not read your inputs, the Maverick, like most modern vehicles, use electric controlled inputs on the pedals rather than by wire.

 

[SLINGSHOT]

B R A K E

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

This past Friday my wife and I were going to dinner and when I was parking the truck in front of the bistro where we planned on having dinner with friends the brakes suddenly failed as I was parking. I was not going very fast but when I stepped on the brake the pedal went to the floor and suddenly the truck jumped the curb. I was pumping the brakes as fast as I could and I think on the 3rd pump the brakes engaged but it was too late we had run into the store front damaging the truck and the store front of two businesses.

After the police and half of the FD showed up we determined the truck was drivable and since I only live about 5 miles from the bistro we decided to just drive home slowly. About half way home I had to make a left turn and when I was slowing down the brakes did the same thing again and again on the 3d or 4th pump the truck stopped with what I would call a hard stop and a grabbing sound in the brakes.

Has anyone else experienced something similar?

First off. I'm glad everybody was okay and it was just property damage done.
Please keep us updated on what Ford or Insurance Company fines out. If you can take a picture of the written report that would be wonderful, give some insight as to what went wrong.

I am SHOCKED they let you drive the truck home with the brakes not working properly. Your truck should have been towed from the scene. No question.
I wouldn't want anybody driving the truck after that happened. Putting lives in danger. That truck should have been towed. The fact that you said it happened again, strengthens the fact that it should have been towed.

I have my own theories but something in writing would sure help us all..
Definitely not a great way to start the holiday season.

 

[PNWMaverick]

Many years ago I had this same thing happen in traffic. Applied the brakes and the pedal just flopped to the floor and I hit the car in front of me. The car was maybe a year old and well serviced. It and the car I hit were totaled - not a single injury for either of us.

 

[Ozarkbeard]

Did you try using the Parking BRAKE ?

If you haven't already, be sure and report this incident to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: https://www.nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem#index

There may be other Mavericks that have had the same issue. If NHTSA gets enough reports, a recall will be issued. Ford is supposedly made aware of the reports.

 

[todd92]

'Unintended' acceleration....

 

[Vaportrail]

WOW!!!

Thank goodness nobody was injured-

Please tell me you checked the brake fluid before you started driving it again... @OldSarg

Good thing it didn't happen as you were leaving the Bistro...

An accident like that would've morphed into big damn deal if you'd have had an adult beverage with dinner-

 

[Jimmyland]

Man that's horrible. As I'm sure you probably know there's no way I would drive that thing it would be towed to the dealership if it's under warranty or for repair to your choice of mechanic.

Thankfully I've not run into that issue of heard of it before. Are those the original brakes, how many miles are on your truck, and have you ever had them serviced?

That doesn’t sound Drivable to me. Have it towed for safety reasons!!! Report it to Ford that is very dangerous to you and everyone around.

 

[wax87]

yea, if my brakes did not work, why would anyone drive it.... Just saying

 

[Scott Asheville]

OP, please report to NHTSA at this link. Takes 5 minutes. I've done it myself.

https://www.nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem#index

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

Except for the lack of warning lights.
This could be related to the condition below in the thread.

Good morning all
This post is to let anyone who may encounter my issue now.
My wife and I purchased the truck in May 2024. It now has 4970 miles and had our first issue Sept 10th.
When we attempted to reverse out of the driveway, with the foot firmly on the brake and the start button engaged, the truck unexpectedly rolled out of the driveway. This alarming incident poses a significant safety risk, as the brake pedal was fully pressed, yet the truck was in motion.
I drove back into the spot. Multiple check engine lights came on, and the ABS and parking brake faults were on.
I drove around the neighborhood troubleshooting. The brakes would sometimes work, super grabby, or not at all, so I used the E brake switch to stop.

I called Ford and had it towed the next day. It is currently still in the shop. They gave us a rental car, thinking it was a faulty Electronic brake booster controller.
Still waiting on ETR.

My wife and I couldn't be more grateful that this happened in our driveway; this could have been a serious accident if it was to occur on the freeway.

Update:
We received a phone call today. They replaced the Electronic Brake booster (EBB) and cleared the codes, but they came back with the same issues still present. They are continuing to troubleshoot.

At what point do I begin thinking about a lemon law attorney? I think this truck has become unreliable for my family or vacation trips.

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