1997 Honda Civic SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

1997 HONDA CIVIC, UNIT 1 WAS DRIVING UP TO LANE 5 EXIT 151 ON THE OHIO TURNPIKE. UNIT 1 WAS APPROACHING THE TOLL BOOTH WHEN THE BRAKES ON THE CAR FAILED. UNIT 1 STEERED INTO AND STRUCK THE CRASH BARRIER BETWEEN THE LANES. THIS ACTION WAS DONE TO PREVENT STRIKING ANOTHER VEHICLE. BF ACCORDING TO THE POLICE REPORT, THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT DOWN TO THE FLOOR. ALSO, THERE WAS FLUID LEAKING FROM UNDER THE VEHICLE. (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT # 10-0098-90)*JB UPDATED 04/22/11 *BF UPDATED 06/17/11 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED HE DOES NOT OWN THE VEHICLE. IT WAS A DEALER VEHICLE BEING TRANSPORTED TO AN AUCTION. UPDATED 09/19/11

BRAKE FAILURE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING, THE CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THEY HESITATED TO STOP, WHICH RESULTED IN A FRONT COLLISION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. THE DEALER HAD BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS THE MASTER CYLINDER. SCC *JB

DEALERSHIP TOLD ME IT WAS ALIGNMENT, WHICH IT WASN'T. ROTORS CAUSED SHIMMY, STILL UNDER WARRANTY, JUST PURCHASED. REPLACED PADS & ROTORS. HAD TO REPLACE PADS 30K MI. LATER. NOW I'M AT 60K MILES AND I'M REPLACING THEM AGAIN. I DON'T DRIVE IT HARD, DRIVE IT TO WORK AND BACK. CONTINUAL SQUEALING AT SLOW SPEEDS, NOW.*AK

ROTORS HAVE WARPED REPEATEDLY, I ONLY NOTICED DUE TO THE PULSATION WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES. SEEMS TO BE CONSISTENTLY HAPPENING EVERY 25,000 TO 30,000 MILES. I HAVE A CO-WORKER WHO BOUGHT THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL 30 DAYS BEFORE WE DID WHO IS EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. HE HAS HAD TO HAVE HIS TURNED 3 TIMES, AND FINALLY BOUGHT REPLACEMENT ROTORS AT 90,000 MILES. IF THIS IS NOT CAUGHT BY THE OWNER, OR DURING A ROUTING INSPECTION, THE BRAKE SYSTEM MAY FAIL TO FUNCTION PROPERLY, RESULTING IN CRASHES AND POSSIBLE FATALITIES.*AK

BRAKE ROTORS FAILED TWO TIME IN 20,000 MILES, FIRST REPAIR AT 9,000 MILES, ROTORS WARPED CAUSING EXTREME VIBRATION WHILE BRAKING. *MJS

REPEATED WARPING OF BRAKE ROTOR WITH SEVERE VIBRATION AT HIGHWAY SPEED WHENEVER BRAKES APPLIED. TURNING (RESURFACING) ROTOR ONLY SOLVES PROBLEM FOR 10,000 MILES. DEALER WOULDN'T COVER UNDER WARRANTY & INSISTS VIBRATION DOES NOT AFFECT SAFETY. I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS, AS STEERING WHEEL JERKS VIOLENTLY AT HIGHER SPEEDS.*AK

THE FRONT ROTORS HAVE NOW TWICE FAILED IN 21,000 MILES, DUE TO EXCESSIVE WARPING. THE FIRST FAILURE OCCURRED AT 9,000 MILES; THE SECOND BEGAN AT APPROXIMATELY 20,000 MILES AND BECAME INCREASINGLY MORE SEVERE. HONDA HAS PROVIDED NO COLORABLE EXPLANATION FOR WHY THIS WOULD OCCUR. WITH RESPECT TO DRIVING, THE LOCAL HONDA DEALER CLAIMS THAT THIS POSES NO SAFETY ISSUE. I RESPECTFULLY DISAGREE. THE WARPING HAS RESULTED IN SEVERE SHIMMYING IN THE CAR (AND, AT SOME SPEEDS, A HARD AND SUDDEN PULL) UPON APPLICATION OF THE BRAKES, AFFECTING BOTH STEERING AND STOPPING, AND OVERALL HANDLING. DESPITE THE CAR'S RELATIVELY LOW MILEAGE, THE LOCAL HONDA DEALER (SF HONDA) HAS DEEMED THIS TO BE A "REGULAR" WEAR AND TEAR ITEM, AND THUS ONLY MACHINED DOWN THE ROTORS TO RESOLVE THE MOST RECENT WARPING. I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF (OR EXPERIENCED) SUCH ROTOR WARPING IN 15 YEARS OF DRIVING. I AM ALSO CONFIRMING BY LETTER (COPIED TO THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER) THE SUBSTANCE OF THIS QUESTIONNAIRE. I FURTHER NOTE THAT A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN HAS PREVIOUSLY BEEN ISSUED WITH RESPECT TO THE 1997 CIVIC'S BRAKES. *AK

IF THE CAR IS TRAVELING AT 60 MPH OR GREATER AND THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED, THE CAR SHAKES UNTIL THE BRAKES ARE RELEASED. *AK

BRAKE ROTORS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED 4 TIMES WITHIN 45,000 DUE TO POOR ROTOR DESIGN. *AK

BRAKES PULSATE,.WHEN APPLYING BRAKES THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES, AND CONSUMER GETS LESS THAN IDEAL BRAKING. DEALER HAS DONE VARIOUS THINGS TO THE BRAKING SYSTEM, INCLUDING TOTAL REPLACEMENT OF ALL HARDWARE. THERE CONTINUES TO BE A PROBLEM EVERY 4,000 MILES. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

WHILE DRIVING 35 -40 MPH CONSUMER TRIED TO APPLY THE BRAKES AND VEHICLE DID NOT STOP, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO REAR END ANOTHER VEHICLE.DEALER HAS YET TO BE CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FUTHER INFORMATION. *AK

BOTH FRONT DISC WHEELS HAVE WARPED THREE TIMES IN 60,000 MILES. MY CAR HAS BEEN PRIMARILY A COMMUTER AUTO, TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY; THEREFORE, I SELDOM USE MY BRAKES FOR THE NUMBER OF MILES ON MY CAR. DEALER HAS FIXED MY BRAKES TWICE.

ABS SYSTEM FAILED.

AT 24,000 MILES THE FRONT BRAKE PADS WERE PREMATURLEY WORN OUT, AND THE FRONT BRAKE ROTORS WERE RESURFACED OR CUT DUE TO PULSATION. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

CONSUMER'S WIFE WAS DRIVING VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN SHE APPLIED THE BRAKES AND HEARD A THUMPING NOISE, AND THERE WERE NO BRAKES. SHE WAS ABLE TO USE THE HAND BRAKE TO SLOW VEHICLE DOWN AND GO OVER TO THE SIDE. VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED / REPAIRED AND REPLACED BRAKE BOOSTER. *AK

COMPUTER FAILED WHICH CAUSED TOTAL LOSS OF BRAKES, PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR WITHIN 24HOURS BEFORE FAILURE, THERE WAS A TICKING SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE FIREWALL. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK