2003 Honda Accord: brake failure

Filed Oct 5, 2015 · Transmission · 107,000 miles · KS

I was driving on the main road and I heard a noise, my vehicle suddenly stopped, I tried to apply brakes, but the brakes did not work, the hand brakes did not work either, was very scary. The vehicle was in motion when it suddenly stopped on me. This vehicle has always been serviced at honda dealership and I have taken very good care of this vehicle. I am scared for my safety driving this vehicle because I could have ended up in a big accident like the one that recently happened in seattle to the "duck tourist bus" because of a broken axle. I contacted honda about this issue, mentioned about my concerns regarding the safety of this vehicle, but they did not care.

Filed Apr 5, 2007 · Brakes · 38,700 miles · AZ

Brakes fail in reverse above 6000 ft when car is cold. Dealer said this is a known issue by honda and say it cannot be repaired without updating car's software which honda refuses to do. Dealer has had multiple complaints about brake failure at altitude when cold. Honda states that the car is working as designed regardless of the fact that the brakes completely fail. Fails every day since we have moved. Car narrowly missed pedestrian due to brake failure.

Filed Jan 12, 2007 · Brakes · 3,000 miles · CA

Within a few months of ownership after buying this car new my wife began complaining that the car pulsed under braking. After about 2 years and ~ 25k miles the pulsing/vibration got much, much worse so I took the vehicle to the dealer while car was still under warranty. The dealer told me I needed to have rotors turned and new pads installed, and that it would cost me almost $200. The dealer did not tell me honda issued a service tsb (tsb# 03-069) regarding this problem and that the service should be done under warranty per honda. I never received any notice of a tsb from honda telling me they were having issues with brakes on this vehicle. As I was unaware of the brake problems specific to this vehicle I did not have the service performed at that time because I thought the dealer was lying to me as I have never had a car that had brake rotor problems at on only a few thousand miles. Not telling me of the problem was negligent of the dealer and manufacturer, someone could have been hurt or killed if the brakes failed. To try and solve the problem I first took the car to a tire shop and had the wheels rebalanced which cost me $50, that did not solve the problem so I spent another $90 on new brake pads which I did myself, which also did not help...anyway now at 47k miles the vibration that occurs when needing to stop from highway speed is so severe the whole car shakes, it is unsafe to drive. I researched the problem on internet forums and this is how I found out about the tsb, but my car is now far out of warranty, so I now must have it fixed myself, and it will probably start to happen again. This is a safety issue and should have been recalled, and replaced with updated and safe parts. I have never had any brake rotor problems on any car I ever owned before this car. Honda's solution (even if done free under warranty) of turning rotors is a temporary fix at best and is unacceptable as the problem would have recurred later.

Filed Mar 31, 2006 · Brakes · 27,000 miles · MN

Dt*: the contact stated while applying brake pressure at various speeds, the brake pedal went to the floor almost touching the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was seen by a dealer who determined the placement of the brake pedal normal.

Filed Aug 19, 2005 · Acceleration · MD · crash · 1 injury

2003 honda accord experienced sudden acceleration and brake failure. *mr the consumers foot never left the brakes. There was a loud noise under the vehicle and or hood when the vehicle accelerated like an jet airplane, jumped the curb and hydroplaned about 2 feet off of the ground and hit the neighbors tree. *sc the consumer no longer owns the vehicle.

Filed Apr 11, 2005 · Brakes · 37,000 miles · MI

I believe there is a brake design or manufacturing defect in my 2003 honda accord v6. The dealership has replaced the front rotors on my vehicle twice within 37,000 miles. In addition, the front brake pads were replaced once and the rear brake rotors resurfaced once within this milage period. Going through three sets of rotors and one set of brake pads within 37,000 miles means there is either a design or manufacturing defect in the brake system. I experienced no brake failures as a result of these problems.

Filed Oct 25, 2004 · Brakes, Tires · NE

Brake failure. *bf primarily a complaint about michelin tires. *jcc the tire had poor grip in the rain. The consumer stated when he slammed on the brakes, the vehicle slowed very gradually only because the consumers foot was off the gas pedal and the vehicle coasted, approximately 2-3 seconds later, the brakes applied very gently. The consumer as well as the mechanic at the dealership believed there was a momentary failure of the ABS.

Filed Oct 20, 2004 · Airbags · CO · crash · 1 injury

Brake failure, transmission not working after impact. Side air bag did not deploy. *bf consumer was hit on the drivers side of the vehicle. The air bag did not deploy. The brakes failed to stop the vehicle and the doors could not be opened after the collision, a spreader was used to open the driver side door. The vehicle declared totaled .

Filed Aug 17, 2004 · Brakes · 14,800 miles · IA · crash

When first braking after the car sits overnight, the brake pedal is hard and with it in reverse it backs up and cant be stopped without pumping the brakes . Wife backed into car in driveway and dented the trunk lid on the honda. Thought it was one time deal, but it happened 3 more times. Took it to dealer and they had tsb on and fixed it. Brake hose would collapse and cause failure. They put a new hose part 7185473, I called honda, they would not fix dent because it was not a recall, it was a tsb. This was a dangerous situation and I should have been notified.. Their attitude was it was my fault that the brakes did not work and will not repair the trunk damage. What do I do???

Filed Jul 30, 2004 · Brakes · 140 miles · CA

When the brake pedal was depressed vehicle failed to stop immediately. The brakes made a grunting noise, and vehicle jerked forward with force. This almost resulted in an accident. This vehicle was equipped with traction control. Also, brakes made a grinding noise. However, dealership indicated that this was normal because of the type of braking system that the vehicle had. Dealership performed a diagnostic test, in which no failure code was found. A factory representative inspected the vehicle, but the cause of the failure was undetermined. *ak the vehicle has had four significant brake failures within the last 7000 miles. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but they have been unable to duplicate the problem.

Filed Jun 30, 2004 · Electrical · NY · fire

This is a redo with corrections of #10079025 the following is what happened to my daughter:while traveling in rush hour(5-10mph) traffic on i80 in new jersey on her first day to a new job,her radio died.she then realized that there was white smoke coming from under hood.other motorists noticing this beckoned her to move out of the lane & onto the shoulder.as she was doing this, she realized that she had no brakes.when she got to the shoulder she applied the emergency brake & turned off the ignition.while calling her boyfriend for help she heard people yelling at her to get out of the car. Not understanding why, she was scared, got out & saw sparks coming from the front & bottom of the car. She then heard someone yell to get away from the car. As she took a few steps away a loud explosion was heard.her brand new car had 15ft flames shooting out of it.she was devestated. First impressions were that this is electrical related.after 3 weeks of calling honda, naturally they disagree.they said the "probable cause" was a "non-honda" oil filter. At this site alone I found several heat related complaints about dashboard issues.my daughter mentioned to honda city in levittown,ny about her "check engine" light staying on, she was told"it's nothing". Please contact us at: [email protected] with any electrical related issues.signed a mom.

Filed Jun 29, 2004 · Electrical · NY · fire

The following is what happened to my daughter: while traveling in rush hour(5-10mph) traffic on i80 in new jeresy on her first day to a new job, her radio stopped playing. While pressing buttons to try to find another station, she realized that there was white smoke coming from under the hood. Other motorists noticing this beckoned her to move out of the lane that she was in to go to the shoulder. As she was doing this, she realized that she had no brakes. She proceeded to drive to the shoulder & then had to apply the emergency brake to stop the car, then turned off the ignition. While sitting in the car calling her boyfriend for help, she was hearing yelling from the other motorists to get out of the car. Not understanding what was going on, she opened her door to the screams of people telling her that her car was shooting sparks from the front & below. At that moment she started to get scared & got out. She saw the sparks & took a step back & heard a yell from someone to get away from the car. She started to walk away when a loud explosion was heard. Her brand new car had 15 ft. Flames coming from under the hood. Needless to say , she was devistated. Everyone at the scene, state police, mechanic, & fire dept. Concluded that this was electrical related.after 3 weeks of constantly calling honda,waiting for an answer, naturally honda disagrees. They said that the "probable cause"....was due to a "non- honda" oil filter. At this site alone I found numerous complaints regarding heat related issues with the dashboard,etc.. My daughter had mentioned to honda city in levittown,ny that the "check engine" light wouldn't go off. She was told it's "nothing" . Please contact us at: [email protected] for all electrically related issues signed, a mom.