NHTSA Complaint #10320538 — 2005 HONDA CIVIC

LAST AUGUST 2009, I EXPERIENCED BRAKE FAILURE 3 TIMES WHILE DRIVING MY 2005 HONDA CIVIC. THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND THERE WAS NO BRAKING. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO HONDA DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT IT FROM AND THEY ADJUSTED THE BRAKES AND DOCUMENTED IT WAS REPAIRED. THE BRAKES FAILED AGAIN TWO DAYS LATER AND THIS TIME, THEY COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM. THE ADVISED ME IN WRITING TO CONTINUE DRIVING IT UNTIL IT HAPPENED AGAIN AND TO BRING IT BACK. THE CAR IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND I HASSLED WITH THEM AND THE NATIONAL AMERICAN HONDA CORPORATION CUSTOMER SERVICE AND GOT NO SATISFACTION, NO REPAIR. IN THE DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT DOCUMENTATION THEY TRIED TO CLAIM THAT MY BRAKE SHOES WERE WORN OUT, BUT THAT WAS NOT TRUE AS THEY HAD BEEN INSTALLED JUST ONE MONTH BEFORE AND SUBSEQUENTLY WHEN INDEPENDENT MECHANICS LOOKED AT THEM, THEY TOLD ME THE BRAKE SHOES AND ROTORS WERE FINE. INDEPENDENT MECHANICS ADVISED ME TO GET THE MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER CHANGED. FOR 3 MONTHS I DID NOT DRIVE THE CAR, I DOCUMENTED THE PROBLEM IN DETAIL AND TRIED TO PERSUADE HONDA TO FIX IT. THEIR FLAT OUT REFUSAL BY DENYING THERE WAS A PROBLEM (I HAD THE CAR TOWED 3 TIMES TO THE DEALER AFTER EACH EPISODE OF BRAKE FAILURE) WAS EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING. FINALLY, IN OCTOBER 2009, I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO ANOTHER GARAGE AND THEY REPLACED THE MASTER CYLINDER. THE BRAKES HAVE NOT FAILED SINCE, BUT WHILE STOPPED AT A LIGHT THE OTHER DAY, IT SEEMED THAT THE PEDAL WAS ONCE AGAIN SLOWLY CREEPING TOWARD THE FLOOR. THIS IS HOW THE PROBLEM HAD STARTED SO I'M WONDERING IF IT TRULY HAS BEEN FIXED. I HAVE MUCH DOCUMENTATION OF THE ABOVE EVENTS. THE NEWS OF THE RECALL THAT JUST OCCURRED WITH HONDA VEHICLES HAVING "SOFT BRAKES" MATCHED EXACTLY THE DESCRIPTION OF MY PROBLEM WITH SUBSEQUENT BRAKE FAILURE, SO THAT GRABBED MY ATTENTION. I DID NOT KNOW YOUR WEBSITE EXISTED UNTIL I READ THE NEWS REPORTS ABOUT THAT RECALL AND SO I AM VERY INTERESTED IN REPORTING MY PROBLEM. THANKS SO MUCH! *TR