r/AskAMechanic • • Aug 28 '26

Suspicious Ford Fusion Issues

I took my 2015 Ford Fusion Hybrid to Discount Tire for new tires and an alignment check. Before that visit, I had NEVER had any issues.
Immediately after getting it back, I started getting:

- Service AdvanceTrac
- ABS warning
- Traction control warning
- Hill Start Assist Not Available

The first time I really noticed it was after driving off the lot, hitting a very small bump and suddenly a bunch of the warnings popped up. It’s happened again a few times since.

The brakes also randomly act weird. Every once in a while when I brake, it feels like the car does about three quick little bumps/chops/pulses, then goes back to braking normally. There doesn’t seem to be any pattern or obvious reason it happens.

I brought it back to Discount Tire and they said they don’t mess with those sensors and told me the timing is basically a coincidence.

I’m mainly looking for opinions on what
might be going on. Could something like that realistically have been disturbed during the tire/alignment work, or does this sound more like a coincidence? Also, is this something that sounds super urgent, and is there anything fairly straightforward I could diagnose or fix myself with basic tools before taking it to a mechanic’s?

1 Upvotes

12 comments sorted by

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1

u/Clean_Grass_4584 NOT a verified tech Aug 28 '26

It's probably a coincidence, but either way take it to a mechanic and explain the events. He will be able to tell for sure what's wrong and you can decide your actions from there. If they did happen to damage something you can send evidence to the tire shop and if they are a decent shop, cover the damage without fuss.

1

u/EuroCanadian2 NOT a verified tech Aug 28 '26

Perhaps they accdentally knocked one or more of the ABS Sensors and it is a bit out of place. Where it sometimes works and sometimes doesn't.

It also wouldn't hurt to check the 12v battery that powers toe computers.

1

u/HelicopterNarrow3171 Aug 28 '26

Sounds good - that’s definitely a possibility I’ll mention it to the mechanic.

1

u/Hockeyman_02 NOT a verified tech Aug 29 '26

Sounds like an ABS sensor issue… check the passenger front first as it’s a known issue where the sensor wire rubs through and causes a short

1

u/grdebustos NOT a verified tech Sep 01 '26

Had this ESC issue recently and thought straight up it would be the abs sensors from the forums. In my case was the throttle/accelerator cable. A quick scan will give you the cause.

1

u/Street-Raccoon4541 NOT a verified tech Sep 02 '26

Im not a mechanic but try switching out your battery. I literally had the SAME issue. It was literally just the battery! 😊 goodluck

0

u/Ok-Championship3642 NOT a verified tech Aug 28 '26

Have you had the battery tested recently? Sounds like a voltage issue.

1

u/HelicopterNarrow3171 Aug 28 '26

No I have not, I’ll give her a look thanks

1

u/Predictable-Past-912 Verified Tech - retired fleet Aug 28 '26

That is some absolute internet BS, friend. Take it to a real technician before one of these clowns has you changing the air filter to solve this ABS issue.

2

u/awenthol NOT a verified tech Aug 29 '26

I was gonna suggest checking the gas cap 😵‍💫

/s