NHTSA Complaint #10230763 — 2007 HONDA ODYSSEY

BRAKES ARE TOO SOFT/MUSHY. BRAKES DON'T WORK PROPERLY MOST OF THE TIME. IT TAKES INCREASING PRESSURE TO STOP VEHICLE. SOMETIMES THE VEHICLE LURCHES FORWARD AFTER IT STOPS WHICH CAUSES YOU TO BE OUT IN INTERSECTIONS, PAST STOP SIGNS AND POSSIBLY HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE. ON FRIDAY JUNE 6, 08 THE BRAKES FAILED AGAIN, THIS TIME AT 60-65 MPH. ANOTHER VEHICLE DRIVING TOO FAST SWERVING IN & OUT OF TRAFFIC PULLED IN FRONT OF ME THAT REQUIRED ME TO BRAKE IN ORDER TO AVOID ANOTHER ACCIDENT. WHEN PRESSURE APPLIED THE VEHICLE DID NOT SLOW DOWN UNTIL BRAKE PEDAL NEARLY TOUCHED THE FLOOR. W/ SOME GREAT DEFENSIVE DRIVING AN ACCIDENT WAS AVOIDED. A RECENT TEST DRIVE BY THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO RECREATE THE BRAKES PROBLEM. UPON TAKING THE KEYS BACK, I HAD TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL NEARLY TO THE FLOOR IN ORDER TO SHIFT INTO DRIVE. I PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK AND RETURNED TO THE SERVICE MGR TO HAVE HIM GO ON A TEST DRIVE W/ ME. HE REFUSED. I ASKED HIM 4X'S TO PLEASE TEST DRIVE IT WITH ME DRIVING. HE SAID THAT HE DROVE THE VEHICLE, THE DISTRICT SOMEBODY DROVE THE VEHICLE AS WELL AS A TECHNICIAN. HE AGAIN STATED NOTHING WRONG W/ BRAKES. I LEFT THE DEALERSHIP WITH THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION : 10DPSM/SM DROVE VEHICLE TESTING BRAKES. COMPETED PANIC STOPS AT 40 MPH, 20 MPH. BRAKES OPERATED AS DESIGNED. TECH DROVE VEHICLE WHILE TESTING BRAKES AND PEDAL STIFFNESS. PANIC STOPS AT 10, 20, 30, 40 & 45 MPH. SWERVE SIDE TO SIDE TO TEST VSA AS WELL. ALL SYSTEMS OPERATE AS DESIGNED. I WANT TO NOTE THAT ONLY 11.5 MILES WERE PUT ON THE VAN DURING THEIR "TEST" OF IT .THEY DID NOT TEST IT UNDER MY NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. I DON'T FEEL THE VEHICLE WAS ADEQUATELY TEST DRIVEN. THE BRAKES WILL WORK OFF AN ON, BUT THE LONGER IT IS DRIVEN AND THE MORE THE BRAKES ARE USED DURING THAT DRIVE, THE LESS RELIABLE THEY BECOME. HONDA REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE MAY BE PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES ON THEIR 2007 MODEL VANS DESPITE ALL THE INFO SENT TO THEM FROM THE NHSTA SITE. *TR