Tl* the contact owns a 1998 honda accord. While driving at 40 MPH, the vehicle started to slow down and then stalled without warning. The contact mentioned that the brakes failed and the steering would not turn. The vehicle was restarted, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was merged to the side of the road, where an independent mechanic diagnosed that the ignition switch was defective. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer, who diagnosed that the failure was due to a faulty wire harness. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 116,000.
1998 Honda Accord: brake failure
9 of the 1,199 complaints about the 1998 Honda Accord describe brake failure.
- owner complaints
- 9
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 11 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below
Brake failure by model year
What owners say
Brakes failed with no warning, cause was brake line broke from front of car to rear brakes. Needed to use emergency brake to stop car.
When I stop or slow down the car shuts off. I have no steering and no brakes and no hazard lights. Car shuts down while driving.
Subject: 1998 honda accord 117,000 miles. Events that LED to complaint: vehicle engine and all electrical completely shuts down leaving no control over vehicle: no lights, no brakes, no steering, no signals, no check engine light. A sudden and complete loss of vehicle control with 2-3 kids in car and 2 adults. We went on line for recall notices and found the following: compliant: recall # 02v120000,may 16th, 2002' & 03v423000 oct 27,2003' "ignition switch contacts worn out causing the engine to stall with out warning". "catastrophic failure!" honda of oxnard replaced part back on may 2002' with same faulty part. Registered compliant 4/3/08 without resolution with honda america and honda of oxnard dch: honda america case # n012008-04-0200208 - senior regional case manager:jamahl brown 1‑800‑999‑1009 x118263. Jamahl asked that we take the subject car in to dch honda of oxnard for diagnostic to confirm failure. Failure was confirmed by clint stremcha-service tech, rose siela - service manager, to be the "ignition switch"! Same as recalled part. I brought the results back to jamahl brown at honda america and he said he would not perform any good will because of age of vehicle. I stated to him that this car was still on the round transporting kids to and from school daily. A catastrophic failure of this magnitude could cause great bodily injury or death. He replied that is my problem and that I need to keep the vehicle serviced. I further explained this part is not a serviceable part like brakes and oil are. I also said I have a honda that has 200,000 miles that is still on the road without incident. I asked him why did he ask me to take the car to honda to it get diagnosed to confirm the failed part? With out answering the question he said he would stand by his decision not offer me any financial support or solution to this failure. End of explanation.
While driving consumer applied the brakes and pedal went to the floor. Consumer was unable to maintain control of the vehicle, and it collided into another vehicle from the driver's side. Upon impact, both frontal air bags did not deploy. Driver sustained head and back injuries, and was transported by ambulance to a hospital. Vehicle was towed, and totaled by the insurance company.*ak the consumer stated that brakes failed to stop the vehicle.
Was in a 35 MPH zone and was to stop for red light and to turn left. Service road between me and flat-back big truck that had already stopped for light. Put on brakes and started accelerating, and had no brakes or steering. Was raining. Probably hydroplaned. Picked up speed and went head-on into back of parked truck. I am injured and am under doctors care. Bag should have deployed but didn't. Whole front of my car was smashed. Have pictures.
The back right brake went out. Yh
Brakes failed.
Brakes failed on two occasions almost resulting in collisions.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Grunt noise after sitting for several hours
- Brake system indicator comes on and goes off
- Testing brake fluid for petroleum contamination
- Rear brake shoe kits now available
- Anti-lock braking system (ABS) or tcs diagnostic trouble code (DTC) 51 and/or 53 troubleshooting
- Anti-lock brake system (ABS) grunts when doing a self-check
- Grunt noise when accelerating after sitting
- Clearing anti-lock brake system (ABS) diagnostic trouble codes (DTCS)
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 1998 Honda Accord brake failure
Is brake failure a common problem on the 1998 Honda Accord?
9 of 1,199 owner complaints about the 1998 Honda Accord (1%) mention brake failure. The model year with the most reports is 2008.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1998 Honda Accord?
There are 0 recalls and 11 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1998 Honda Accord
Stalling 137Transmission failure 84Check engine light 74Slipping 50Jerking 45Fuel gauge 43No deployment 29Ball joint 25Sudden acceleration 24Won't start 22Hesitation 21Harsh shifting 17Loss of power 16Grinding brakes 13Won't shift 13Airbag light 12Door locks 10Engine failure 10Power steering loss 10Tire blowout 9Headlights 8Seat belt 8Knocking 7Adaptive cruise 6Overheating 6Fuel leak 5Fuel smell 5Warning lights 5
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 1998 Honda Accord?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history