Brakes did not work.

[CALoscalzo]

I was T-boned at an intersection by a hit and run driver. After the collision it I tried to apply my brakes. They did not appear to work and it seemed like the engine had quit. I rolled into a tree and stopped.

if I had brakes, I would not have rolled into the tree. It all happened so fast it’s hard to depict moment by moment but when I did stop the transmission selector still showed a yellow D.

Insurance is investigating. I’ll have Ford service department run a diagnostic to see if anything shows up there.

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[jkeaton]

A byproduct of being in an accident. Could have broken a brake line, damaged the master cylinder, etc. Hope everyone is ok.

 

[Mark S.]

As @jkeaton noted, it could be any number of issues related to the impact. In addition, when your engine quits you lose assistance from the vacuum-powered master cylinder. That means you have to press much harder on the pedal to make the brakes work.

 

[coopny]

Glad you are safe. Hopefully the car is not totaled, but property can ultimately be replaced. Insurance will generally not consider a hit-and-run accident in your premiums. Of course, you still have to pay your collision deductible (unless they can find the other driver, in which case your insurance company can subrogate.)

As already pointed out by jkeaton and Mark, a lot of things can fail in an accident. Some can be deliberate (many Ford vehicles in a severe impact will automatically cut power to the fuel pump to reduce the risk of a fire). Others can just be a byproduct of things breaking due to the collision.

If a side impact resulted in enough damage to disable the brakes, I would be concerned that your insurer will end up totaling your vehicle. You have no control over whether or not the insurance company does this; your insurer can total it by choice, and in Kentucky, if the cost to repair your vehicle exceeds 75% of the actual cash value of your car, they are required to total your car. While I wouldn't recommend buying a vehicle today, I would consider to start looking around at a dealer that will give you a good deal on a new car, in case your insurance company does total your vehicle...

 

[CletusVanDam]

Sorry for the tough luck, and glad you're alright.

This makes me wonder: Does the parking brake on the Bronco Sport have any use in a situation like this? Obviously if it was a regular old e-brake handle, we could use that to brake in emergencies. But does our parking brake on/off switch have any application here? I'm not even sure it would come on, or what would happen if I just flipped it on while moving.

 

[Black Rob]

 

[Cursed Bronco]

So I guess no power slides in the snow... I was wondering if I pulled it would lock it up, but I guess not. That does make sense, though. The mechanism to push/pull and the electronic activation would be too slow to quickly apply and release for some winter fun

 

[kshaw]

Some cars have an automatic turn-off on the fuel to lower the risk of a fire after an impact. I had an Escape with that feature and I had to look up how to turn the fuel back on.

 

[CALoscalzo]

Thanks guys for all the great responses.

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