2016 Ford Transit Connect Brakes Problems

Was driving to work passenger front wheel locked overheating brakes and smoking had to have towed to jones ford in Shalotte North Carolina today

NHTSA ID

11715562

Incident

Feb 2, 2026

The brakes suddenly locked up while I was driving which could have caused an accident. Luckily it did not cause me to swerve into oncoming traffic and no one was behind me at the time. This was caused by the ABS unit hydraulic control assembly. It was the right front and left rear calipers locking. My vehicle only has 44,401 miles on it. The diagnosis has been confirmed at the dealer. There are other 2016 Ford Transit connect models that have had a safety recall for this specific component, but mine is just outside of the vehicle recall time period by a few months. It was manufactured at the same plant. Additionally, I wanted to add that there were no warning lights, though I noticed a very slight drag when first accelerating (a few days prior) but didn't think much of it. I wondered if I was just imagining things. It wouldn't have been noticeable to someone who wasn't used to driving it. I contacted Ford and they would not provide any assistance other than me having to start a case (in other words, I have to spend $2,100 to get it fixed at the dealer; also I can't get it fixed anywhere else because the dealer has to program it.)

NHTSA ID

11687689

Incident

Aug 29, 2025

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated that the ABS warning light was illuminated. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle stalled. There was smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the brakes and calipers needed to be replaced. While the mechanic was test driving the vehicle, the vehicle stalled. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called another local dealer, Wayne Ford (444 US-46, Wayne, NJ 07470); but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.

NHTSA ID

11621200

Incident

Oct 10, 2024

Mileage

33,000 mi

The vehicles front driver side wheel brakes keeps receiving too much pressure causing the brake pads to stick and the wheel to get hot and to shake the steering wheel. I have had the caliper replaced twice, the flex bake hose replaced as well, replaced brake pads and rotor and after the most recent diagnosis, I was told that the issue is the HCU. Ford has had issues with this model and you can see under campaigns 16C10/16V482 where this exact issues was happening was being experienced. I believe that they failed to fix the issue when they produced the car I have and are refusing to fix it. When I first experienced the issue my rotor was smoking and the wheel was extremely hot which is an extreme hazard that ford should be made responsible for.

NHTSA ID

11615656

Incident

Jul 24, 2024

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated that while initially starting the vehicle and while driving at various speeds, the main computer screen displayed the “Hill Stop Assist Not Available" and "Parking Assist Not Available" messages. The check engine and ABS warning lights were illuminated. The speedometer, power steering, and several other unknown messages were displayed intermittently. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer after the original failure and was diagnosed and determined that the front passenger’s side wheel position sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic after the second failure, and it was determined that the same front passenger’s and driver’s side wheel position sensors had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the steering wheel position sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

NHTSA ID

11560625

Incident

Aug 18, 2021

Mileage

70,000 mi

Calipers and brake pads were replaced and still front brakes locking up. Unable to drive. Also, I had to replace a brand new brain on the van over $3000 electrical. The contact stated the vehicle is not working and needs help.

NHTSA ID

11545515

Incident

Aug 12, 2023

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Transit Connect. The contacted stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the braking system malfunctioned, causing the vehicle to abruptly stop in the middle of the freeway. The vehicle was later towed to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the brake system HCU pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V482000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic, Electronic Stability Control). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 91,000.

NHTSA ID

11544530

Incident

Sep 4, 2023

Mileage

91,000 mi

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated while an employee was driving 55 MPH, the vehicle decelerated unintendedly. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated on July 14, 2023, while the same employee was driving the vehicle and was releasing the brake pedal, the vehicle started losing motive power and slowed unintendedly. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The employee continued driving to the independent mechanic and was informed that the brake rotors, brake pads, and the front driver’s side and the rear passenger’s side calipers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the mechanic then stated that the Hydraulic Control Unit (HCU) pump was faulty. Upon investigation, the mechanic associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V482000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic, Electrical System) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the Hydraulic Control Unit (HCU) pump to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

NHTSA ID

11533696

Incident

Jun 1, 2022

Mileage

50,000 mi

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was vibrating. The rotors then overheated, causing the brakes to seize. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced the calipers, brakes, and rotors; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the hydraulic control unit (HCU) needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle had previously been serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V482000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic, Electronic Stability Control). The manufacturer informed the contact that the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 128,000.

NHTSA ID

11508921

Incident

Jan 24, 2023

Mileage

128,000 mi

The ABS control/hydraulic unit failed over a period of months. At first I thought it was a master cylinder issue and replaced that but it did not cure the problem. My wife had an issue several times where she thought the transmission was acting up but I could not replicate it, until the brakes really started to lock up. It got to the point where the brakes would stay locked up after any application and would slowly release after five to fifteen minutes. I had the dealership look at it and explained what I had found. If you cracked the metal brake line to hose connection at the right front and left rear, the brakes would release. The dealer did not agree with me, they wanted to replace the entire base braking system. I pulled it out of the dealer and took it to an independent repair shop. The part is presently in the hands of the repair garage but has a core charge on it. The component has not been inspected by anyone. No warning lamps appeared at any time.

NHTSA ID

11498831

Incident

Jul 9, 2022

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated while driving at 20 MPH and coming to a complete stop, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle stopped. However, as he released the brake pedal to drive from the complete stop, the vehicle failed to move. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle responded at a significant low speed. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the front brakes and the rear driver's side brake were not releasing pressure upon depressing the brake pedal. The independent mechanic diagnosed that the brake hydraulic control unit (HCU) pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V482000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic, Electronic Stability Control) as the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

NHTSA ID

11492146

Incident

Nov 3, 2022

Mileage

72,000 mi

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated that while driving at an undetermined speed, the ABS, stability control, and traction control warning lights illuminated. There was an abnormal dinging sound detected. The brakes, power steering and speedometer became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to duplicate the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V482000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic, Electronic Stability Control). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

NHTSA ID

11492117

Incident

Oct 24, 2022

Mileage

20,000 mi

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated while at a stop light and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle would not accelerate due to the anti-lock braking system not releasing as needed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and he stated that the vehicle was experiencing the failure stated in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V482000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic, Electronic Stability Control). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the VIN was included in the recall. The failure mileage 110,000.

NHTSA ID

11482681

Incident

Aug 24, 2022

Mileage

110,000 mi

Some portion of the brakes master cylinder degraded into small pieces and were found in the brake lines by a Ford Dealership technician. While traveling on highway at highway speeds (70mph), about an hour into a trip, the brakes locked on which caused vehicle to travel into the median and slide sideways. The vehicle had to be coaxed (put in manual mode), to get it off highway and limped to dealership. The technician replaced the master cylinder and noted the debris in the brake lines, therefore, he bled all the brake lines to clear the debris. There was no accident (luckily it was avoided), therefore, no insurance or police inspection. Only inspected by Ford dealership personnel. The only warning lamp that was illuminated was the tire pressure warning, since a spare tire was being used at the time.

NHTSA ID

11480917

Incident

Jul 1, 2022

On October 15, 2021, I was driving my 2016 Ford Transit Connect at approximately 55MPH on a state road. I was closing in on a slow-moving truck, and pressed the brake pedal just to slow down about 5MPH. At this point, the brake electronic control module failed, locking up the left front caliper, nearly pulling me into oncoming traffic. I was able to get stopped and pulled over to the side of the road, where I found the affected brake (left front) was smoking hot. I shut the vehicle off and waited for it to cool, and upon restarted, the brake ECM allowed the caliper to open enough to drive it home, and then directly to the repair shop. The repair shop determined the brake ECM was randomly locking up one of the four calipers about 1 in 10 times. There were no warning indicators prior to the issue. The shop has all the details (Runyon Corp, PO Box 384/445, West Main St. Morristown IN, 46161, (765) 763-1271. They would have the old brake ECM. This issue occurred with 64,342 miles on the vehicle. I have contacted Ford, and was told other, similar vehicles of the same year and model had a recall on the brake ECMs, but my VIN was not included in the recall. This is a dangerous situation, and had I not had both hands on the wheel, it would have caused a head-on collision.

NHTSA ID

11440748

Incident

Oct 15, 2021

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY BUSINESS 85 HEADING TO WORK, I WAS TRAVELING 65MPH MY VAN SUDDENLY STARTED TO SLOW DOWN, AS I'M TRYING TO PULL OVER ONTO THE SIDE OF HIGHWAY MY FRONT BRAKES LOCKED UP NEARLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT, THERE WAS A BURNING SMELL COMING FROM THE FRONT PASSENGER WHEEL, TOWED THE SHOP THEY CHANGED BRAKES, BRAKE CALIPERS AND CALIPER HOSE I DROVE IT AND A WEEK LATER I WAS DRIVING AND THE FRONT BRAKES LOCKED UP AGAIN.

NHTSA ID

11365076

Incident

Oct 5, 2020

Mileage

89,000 mi

EXTREME WINDSHIELD LEAK HAVE TRIED TO GET FORD TO FIX. THEY REFFED ME BACK TO THE DEALER. LEAK ALL DOWN THE FRONT AROUND THE ROOF. WATER LITERALLY POURS IN AND I CAN NOT DRIVE ON A RAINY DAY. HAVE TO CAR MAX DEALER TWICE AND THEY STILL

NHTSA ID

11259021

Incident

Jul 1, 2019