2022 Ford Maverick Hybrid

When braking at slow speed and almost stopped, the brakes grab hard suddenly and prematurely then lock without pushing the brake pedal any harder. Happens when I'm just slowing to stop. I have not taken the vehicle in for this. I have not had an accident. No one has been hurt. It is a safety risk stopping short of the intended spot. Driver and passengers suddenly getting jerked forward when not prepared. Loud bang or grabbing noise. Could be rear ended due to sudden unplaned braking. Doesn't occur everytime. No dash indicator lights on when this occurs. Brakes release is normal after this occasion. This has happened numerous times since purchase in March 2022.

Vehicle was in traffic traveling 5-7 mph applied brakes, they failed to engage. Continued to apply more pressure without effect to speed. After three to four seconds of forward momentum and continuing to apply steady pressure to brakes, brakes engaged forcefully causing the wheels to lock up. This was without warning. This has been happening more frequently and with more randomness. Due to the hating motion, this latest event compounded a prior injury in my back and passenger shoulder (from the seat belt locking). Reported problem to dealer, was told this was normal. This has happened many times prior, this is the first time it caused an injury.

Breaks not responding or working correctly at low speed... At low speed the break pedal will suddenly become "soft" and vehicle will surge forward until the break pedal is moved a significant distance downward in some cases causing a very abrupt stop from having to slam on the breaks. The other situation during slow speed is that the breaks will suddenly stop short and hard. Then you will need to release the break to move forward causing the above situation to occur where the break pedal becomes soft and takes a lot of downward travel to achieve the same level of breaking. I am an experienced driver of many years and have owned or rented hybrids and EV's and none have had breaks that responded as dangerously as the 2022 Ford Maverick. I have nearly hit two other stationary vehicles in a parking lot and while at a stop light as well as nearly hitting someone that was walking between parking spaces as the this vehicle surged forward from a sudden loss of breaking at low speed. As you can imagine this also causes many looks of concern from observers as your vehicle is surging and stopping abruptly while driving in parking lots or traffic. I purchased this vehicle for my family to use and I don't want them use it due to these safety concerns. The breaks work as expected on highways at higher speeds, only issue is during slow speed breaking. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND NEEDS TO BE FIXED.

About two weeks after first buying the car I noticed that when breaking the pedal requires inconsistent extra pressure at times to stop the car. Also while breaking and coming to a slow downhill stop the front end makes an odd clunk sound while jerking to a stop. These things only happen very infrequently, so when I took it to the Hansel Ford dealership (in Santa Rosa, Ca.) they could not repeat the sound or breaking effect. The first time I heard the noise I thought I hit something. I feel that the inconsistent breaking could pose a safety issue, making it harder to stop, and potentially causing a collision. I called Ford consumer assistance, they gave me case # [XXX], and asked me to return it to the dealer. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

While driving in traffic on the highway at about 20-30 mph, traffic in my lane slowed further. In response, I applied what should have been an adequate amount of brake pressure to slow down and stop if needed given the following distance I had left. Initially I progressively applying more braking pressure, but after a ~3 seconds of this I slammed the brake down. Instead, the vehicle did not slow as expected in the following ~5 seconds. Despite having slammed on the brake at that point, the vehicle only then showed the emergency braking alert and emergency braked in addition to my foot being fully down on the brake. However, this was too late as my passenger and I rear-ended a Toyota Tacoma. They and myself have filed against my insurance, so there is an accident on my car report that I know has depreciated my new vehicle’s value. Although I do not currently have the Toyota’s estimate, I believe I can ask the owner or my insurance for this. Previously, I had several rear-ending close calls in the car when in traffic and I knew that I often struggled to slow down at stop lights when they first turn yellow. As a result, I’ve often sped up to beat the red since I knew my vehicle struggles to brake in time. My car is currently being repaired by the closest dealership to my SO, but I no longer trust the vehicle. I believe my hybrid maverick does not adequately mechanically brake since it over relies on the weaker regenerative braking. The dealer has attempted to replicate the issue at this point but my vehicle is available for further inspection upon request. I am happy to answer any additional questions.

There's an issue every time I pull in a parking spot or when coming to a slow stop at a red light where there's an abrupt braking issue - I slowly press the brake and it would not slow smoothly sometimes even make a loud noise which sounds like the hydraulic brake all of a sudden working when its supposed to be smooth breaking - this is dangerous as it is random and may come as a surprise when just trying to come to a slow stop. I believe its the transition between the e brakes and the hydraulic brakes its just not smooth at all.

The brakes on this vehicle tend to not respond when performing parking lot maneuvers, creeping in traffic, fast food drive-thru, or backing or pulling into garage. At low speeds, the brakes will either not respond when brake pedal is applied or stop very abruptly / grab with a loud clunk sound. Several incidents of not stopping when expected and almost hitting another vehicle or person.

When my wife and I were driving in a slow traffic situation I was applying the brakes and it was as if the brakes were not working until all the sudden they locked up. we thought we were going to rear end the vehicle in front of us. This happens to my wife and to myself every time we drive our vehicle, It seems even worse in rainy conditions. (This has been an on going problem since we purchased this vehicle.) We feel very unsafe driving our Maverick and Have been told by the dealership that it is the way the brakes work on the Hybrids. Dealer states they could not duplicate the problem, but from there understanding thats just the way the brakes work on Hybrid Vehicle. No one other then the dealer has ever looked at or inspected our vehicle. It has been a issue since I purchased the Vehicle New, No warning lights, No message, No symptoms or problems prior to the brakes malfunction. This happen every time we drive the vehicle. I am almost 60 years old, I have been driving a long time, and have never had a car brake this way,. Definitely something not right.