I have a 2012 Edge Limited with the 3.5L engine. We just recently encountered brake problems. Granted, the car has a lot of miles on it (140,000+), but the resolution of the problem was something I hadn't encountered before, the hydraulic control unit, or HCU. I did a search in this forum for "HCU" and came up with zero results. That surprises me based on the amount of discussion I have seen in other areas of the World Wide Web.

The problem is, about 6 months ago, my wife complained about an occasional soft pedal, but when I drove the car occasionally, I never experienced the phenomenon she was describing. Then a few weeks ago, the condition came and stayed. The car still had brakes, but the pedal went almost all the way to the floor. Needless to say, this was very alarming, especially when one experienced it for the first time!! I checked everything I could at home and everything appeared to be normal. So, we took the car to a local shop I trust and they replaced the pads, one caliper, the master cylinder, and the reservoir. This did not fix the problem. After a discussion with the owner of that shop, I went to the Ford dealer in town to inquire about any possible recalls or other such things. That was a dead end. The dealer offered to diagnose the problem for $100, so I agreed. Their recommended first step was to do a complete fluid exchange for $140 more dollars. I agreed to that also. Their next thing was to say they suspected either the new master cylinder the other shop had put on, or the HCU. For $200 more, they would diagnose those possibilities. By this time, I had done more research online and was thinking it was the HCU myself. So, I refused the $200 step and told them to give me an estimate on replacing the HCU. If the master cylinder was bad, I knew the owner of the other shop would stand behind it. I was expecting an estimate in the $700-$800 range. Boy was I surprised!! Their estimate was $1,650!! After some careful consideration and more online research, I told them to go ahead. So, $1,618.77 later (plus $300+ at the first shop), we have brakes.

I guess through this whole process, I was hoping to find some way to get part of that back. Some kind of recall, or some such thing. But, with a car that old with that many miles, that's not going to happen. That much money was just a shock for me. I've owned a few very dependable cars in my lifetime that cost less than $1,600, so hopefully you can understand where I'm coming from.

Anyone else had a similar experience?

 

smart systems "COST"

remember over the past 10 plus years.. 50 percent of a car's cost is Electronics.. but 15 percent before then.

brakes,
pre ABS
pre yaw control
pre traction control

25 years ago.. most cars never made it to 150,000 miles.
retired pro mechanic. ( 50 years )

 

Yeah, I know all that. I really do actually understand it as well. It's just still hard for this "old dog" to wrap his brain around it. "Old" people like me always look back at things with fondness, whether those things in the past were actually better or not. Actually, I'm a firm proponent of advanced technology when it works as it should, but I have the "good" memories of how things used to be, even if they are altered somewhat by my mind. So, I guess my thinking goes in that direction automatically when something like this happens. It was hard for me to give that much money for a "brake job" but I did it. The car is repaired, life goes on, and I'll try to adjust myself to "the way things are" as much as I can. That doesn't mean I wouldn't take some help from Ford if any were available. After reading online about so many others with the same problem, I was hoping. I don't have numbers, but it seems to me this issue is fairly common.

 

Painful Yes....
I am 70 years old... 50 years as a mechanic..

full tune-up every year, points, condenser, rotor, cap, wires, plugs.
remember water pump every 3 years..
antifreeze every 2-3 years...
cooling system hoses every 3 or 4 years..
ball joints and tie-rod ends every 3-4 years...
brakes every 2-3 years.
battery 3-4 years.

up north bodies rusted out in 5-6 years.

even older cars
oil change every 3,000 miles with Filter.. IF it had one
oil bath air filter... ( I so hated them )
no fuel filter.. so common to rebuild carburetor.
vacuum operated windshield wipers.. every time you stepped on the Gas.. the wipers stopped until you backed off on the gas.

 

I do remember all that, although I never actually owned a vehicle with an oil bath air filter. I do remember very well seeing them and I thought they were weird back then. LOL So, yes I'll admit being spoiled by today's technology, but I still cling to the past. Up until a few years ago, my daily driver was a 1972 model. Today it is a 2002 (secondhand after my wife upgraded). I've got the '72 torn apart now but I hope to make it my daily driver again eventually. After I bought that '72, the first thing I did to it was replace the points with a Pertronix module. Guess I don't think ALL old technology was "better" after all.

 

I to was looking for answers about his. I have a 2013 Edge with 98500 mile. Bought it brand new. I have always maintained it , its a garaged car,and up till now no problems. Like you I was in a state of shock when they told me it was the HCU and would be $1699.00. I looked for the same answers you did. Wound up telling them to fix it. You have to have brakes. Lucky this has been my only major expense in almost 9 years.

 

Sounds exactly like my issue. Brakes went to the floor Oct. 2021 with a hissing sound. There were no warnings or indicators Had the master replaced. Feb. 2022 same thing happened. No warnings or indicators. My mechanic replaced the master cylinder and brake booster but the problem was not fixed. Nothing was coming up on his computer. After two days he gave up and we ended up at Ford. $2400 later in having the HCU replaced. As to why the was no warning, got some crazy explanation that it's a different computer system for that. Whatever that means. I'm so irritated and lucky I wasn't in an accident.

UOTE=RedTaurus94;19287134]I have a 2012 Edge Limited with the 3.5L engine. We just recently encountered brake problems. Granted, the car has a lot of miles on it (140,000+), but the resolution of the problem was something I hadn't encountered before, the hydraulic control unit, or HCU. I did a search in this forum for "HCU" and came up with zero results. That surprises me based on the amount of discussion I have seen in other areas of the World Wide Web.

The problem is, about 6 months ago, my wife complained about an occasional soft pedal, but when I drove the car occasionally, I never experienced the phenomenon she was describing. Then a few weeks ago, the condition came and stayed. The car still had brakes, but the pedal went almost all the way to the floor. Needless to say, this was very alarming, especially when one experienced it for the first time!! I checked everything I could at home and everything appeared to be normal. So, we took the car to a local shop I trust and they replaced the pads, one caliper, the master cylinder, and the reservoir. This did not fix the problem. After a discussion with the owner of that shop, I went to the Ford dealer in town to inquire about any possible recalls or other such things. That was a dead end. The dealer offered to diagnose the problem for $100, so I agreed. Their recommended first step was to do a complete fluid exchange for $140 more dollars. I agreed to that also. Their next thing was to say they suspected either the new master cylinder the other shop had put on, or the HCU. For $200 more, they would diagnose those possibilities. By this time, I had done more research online and was thinking it was the HCU myself. So, I refused the $200 step and told them to give me an estimate on replacing the HCU. If the master cylinder was bad, I knew the owner of the other shop would stand behind it. I was expecting an estimate in the $700-$800 range. Boy was I surprised!! Their estimate was $1,650!! After some careful consideration and more online research, I told them to go ahead. So, $1,618.77 later (plus $300+ at the first shop), we have brakes.

I guess through this whole process, I was hoping to find some way to get part of that back. Some kind of recall, or some such thing. But, with a car that old with that many miles, that's not going to happen. That much money was just a shock for me. I've owned a few very dependable cars in my lifetime that cost less than $1,600, so hopefully you can understand where I'm coming from.

Anyone else had a similar experience?[/QUOTE]

 

i have this same problem. It's been in the shop 4 times. They say they can't recreate the problem. Of course not, it happens only once a month or so, it's super scary when it does!

Dealership finally changed the master cylinder, that didn't work. I mention the HCU being a fix for some people online. The mechanic said that's impossible, the HCU either works it it doesn't. Can anyone explain why this seemed to be a fix?

Thanks in advance.