NHTSA Complaint #10453326 — 2004 HONDA ACCORD

MY WIFE HAD PARKED IN A PARKING SPACE WITH A VERY SLIGHT DOWNWARD SLOPE. THERE WAS ANOTHER SPACE AHEAD OF HER. SHE HAD BEEN DRIVING IN A HEAVY RAIN. THE CAR WAS OPERATING NORMALLY. WHEN SHE RETURNED ABOUT 15 MINUTES LATER, THE BRAKE PEDAL FELT HARD. SHE STARTED THE ENGINE AND SHIFTED INTO REVERSE. THE CAR STARTED COASTING FORWARD. THE BRAKES REMAINED HARD AND DIDN'T STOP THE CAR. SHE STOPPED IT BY SHIFTING TO PARK, THEN TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. SHE REPEATED THE ATTEMPT TO BACK OUT OF THE SPACE - SAME RESULT. NO ERROR MESSAGES APPEARED. SHE CALLED, AND I DROVE TO THE SCENE. THE RAIN HAD STOPPED. I FELT THE HARDNESS OF THE BRAKE PEDAL, ALTHOUGH IT FELT MORE LIKE A STIFF SPRING THAN A NON-POWER BRAKE PEDAL TO ME. I PUMPED THE SPRINGY PEDAL A FEW TIMES; IT DIDN'T CHANGE. I STARTED THE ENGINE, KEEPING MY FOOT LIGHTLY ON THE BRAKE. WHEN THE ENGINE STARTED, THE STIFFNESS IMMEDIATELY DISAPPEARED, THE PEDAL FELT NORMAL, THE TRANSMISSION WORKED, AND THE CAR DROVE NORMALLY. I DIDN'T GET TO EXPERIENCE THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. LATER, I COULD FIND NO PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES. THE LINKAGE HAS ONLY A VERY SLIGHT AMOUNT OF PLAY, AS IT SHOULD. I DEPLETED THE VACUUM SUPPLY BY PUMPING THE BRAKES WITH THE ENGINE OFF. THE PEDAL FELT VERY HARD, UNLIKE THE SPRINGY FEEL IN THE PARKING LOT. I HAVE A PHD IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AND A LOT OF CAR REPAIR EXPERIENCE. THIS BACKGROUND LEADS ME TO CONCLUDE THAT IT IS EXTREMELY UNLIKELY FOR THE UNRELATED BRAKING AND TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS TO FAIL SIMULTANEOUSLY, AND THEN RECOVER SIMULTANEOUSLY. THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER COMMON CAUSE, WHICH LEADS ME TO SUSPECT THE COMPUTER SYSTEM OR POSSIBLY A SENSOR, PARTICULARLY BECAUSE THIS HAPPENED AFTER DRIVING IN A HEAVY RAIN. THE POSTULATED FAILURE MODE IS A COMPROMISED COMPUTER SYSTEM THAT COULD PARTIALLY ACTIVATE THE ABS SYSTEM AND ALSO FAIL TO OPERATE THE REVERSE SOLENOID VALVE IN THE TRANSMISSION.