NHTSA Complaint #10644362 — 2013 HONDA FIT

WHEN I PURCHASED THE CAR ON MAY 31ST 2013 THE BRAKES SEEMED MUSHY. WHEN I TOOK IT IN 3 MONTHS LATER TO THE DEALER TO HAVE A TIRE FIXED (NAIL) THEY SAID THEY CHECKED BUT SAW NOTHING SO I ASSUMED THIS WAS THE WAY THE BRAKES SHOULD BE. A FEW TIMES WHEN I HAD TO BRAKE HARD THE WHOLE CAR SHUDDERED AND AGAIN THEY SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG. SO HERE WE ARE AFTER 15 MONTHS LATER AND I HAD THE BRAKES CHECKED AGAIN AS THEY WERE SQUEAKING A BIT. MY MECHANIC SAID THEY WERE OK, THEN A WEEK LATER AROUND OCT. 9TH THE BRAKES BEGAN TO SCREAM METAL ON METAL IT SOUNDED LIKE TO ME. SO I CALLED THE CUSTOMER CARE PEOPLE AND ASKED ABOUT A WARRANTY FOR THE BRAKES AND WAS TOLD "OH YES LOTS OF PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THAT PARTICULAR CAR, BUT IT IS NOT IN THE WARRANTY." NEEDLESS TO SAY I WAS A BIT UPSET AND TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC WHO REPLACED THEM ($335) AND SAID THAT THERE WAS NO SPRING TO SEPARATE THEM AND IT WAS DONE IN THE FACTORY SO THEY SEIZED UP. I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED IF THIS WASN'T CAUGHT WHEN IT WAS AND I CONSIDER THIS A HUGE SAFETY PROBLEM. I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU WOULD GO ABOUT WARNING PEOPLE BUT I DECIDED TO MAKE YOU AWARE OF MY EXPERIENCE. *TR