2003 Honda Civic Brakes Problems

JUST HAD THE BRAKES AND A BARRING REPLACED IN SEPTEMBER 2014 AND NOW I'M HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES AGAIN BUT WORSE THEY ARE STICKING AND IT'S HARD TO GET UP TO SPEED AND THE ALIGNMENT KEEPS GOING OUT AS WELL.

WHILE DRIVING IN A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD AT 30 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO SLOW DOWN THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL BRAKE CYLINDER BLEW OUT CAUSING A COMPLETE LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID AND CONCOMITANT LOSS OF BRAKES. I HAD TO COAST TO A STOP USING THE HAND BRAKE TO COME TO A FINAL STOP. FORTUNATELY THERE WERE NO CARS IN FRONT OF ME. THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT IN ADDITION TO THE BLOWN BRAKE CYLINDER THE RIGHT REAR FEED BRAKE LINE WAS RUSTED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. HAD I BEEN TRAVELING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC A COLLISION WOULD HAVE OCCURRED POSSIBLY RESULTING IN SERIOUS BODILY INJURY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 HONDA CIVIC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, SHE TRIED TO APPLY THE BRAKES BUT THE BRAKE PEDAL ERRONEOUSLY TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE VEHICLE DID NOT RESPOND TO BRAKING ATTEMPTS AND AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AND THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED NO INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT FILED OF THE INCIDENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO ADVISED THAT BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED, THEY COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 HONDA CIVIC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE APPROACHING A STOP LIGHT THE BRAKES FAILED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE DID NOT SLOW DOWN AND THE BRAKE PEDAL KICKED BACK UP WHEN DEPRESSED. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT ENTERED THE INTERSECTION AND ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED INTO HER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES FROM THE CRASH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A REPAIR SHOP, BUT THE BRAKES HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 88,000. UPDATED 9/21/12 *CN

HONDA CIVIC 2003. BRAKE PROBLEM WAS FOUND. CHECKED WITH METRO HONDA REPAIR CENTER, FOUND NO PROBLEM; CHECKED WITH PENSKE HONDA REPAIR CENTER, THEY CHANGED FRONT PADS. THIS CAR BRAKE THEN COMPLETELY DID NOT WORK ON 105 FREEWAY AND I ALMOST LOST MY LIFE. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO DCH HONDA REPAIR CENTER. THEY FOUND THE MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER WAS DOWN AND THE BRAKE OIL TEST WAS FAILED. CALLED HONDA CORP, THE ANSWER IS NO ONE TO ANSWER MY SAFETY QUESTION. WHO SHOULD ANSWER MY QUESTION? *TR

THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE THE CAR WAS BRAND NEW, AND CONTINUES TO THIS DAY. WHILE SLOWING DOWN, AND IF THE CAR GOES OVER A BUMP OR ROUGH PATCH IN THE ROAD, THE ELECTRICAL BRAKING BY THE HYBRID SYSTEM TURNS OFF. THIS CAUSES THERE TO BE NO BRAKING AT ALL ON THE CAR FOR A BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME. THE REGULAR BRAKING SYSTEM WILL ENGAGE BUT IT REQUIRES MORE FORCE AND TIME THAN NORMAL TO SLOW AND STOP THE CAR. THE STOPPING DISTANCE IS DEFINITELY INCREASED AND COULD LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT. IT OCCURS OFTEN, AND CAN BE RECREATED OVER THE SAME ROUGH PATCH IN THE ROAD. THE AMOUNT OF ROUGHNESS REQUIRED TO CAUSE THIS IS LOW AND THERE IS NO WAY TO PREDICT BY LOOKING AT THE ROAD. IT IS ACTUALLY QUITE SHOCKING HOW LITTLE IT TAKES AND HOW DIFFERENT THE BRAKING IS AFTER IT HAPPENS. I COMPLAINED TO THE DEALER BUT THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO, THAT IS JUST THE WAY IT IS. *TR

BRAKING WHILE ON A BUMPY ROAD OCCASIONALLY RESULTS IN A DELAY OF THE BRAKING ACTION. WE THOUGHT THIS WAS PART OF THE ABS SYSTEM, BUT THERE WAS NO ABS "FEEL" IN THE BRAKE PEDAL. WITH THE TOYOTA PROBLEM DESCRIPTION, WE NOW FEEL IT MAY BE A SIMILAR PROBLEM. ONLY OCCURS WHILE BRAKING ON ROUGH PAVEMENT. *TR

I WISH TO MAKE NOTICE TO NHTSA THAT THE ISSUE IN BRAKING FOR PRIUS VEHICLES WOULD SEEM TO ME TO BE RELATED, IN GENERAL, TO HYBRIDS, BUILT IN JAPAN, AND NOT JUST TOYOTA. I HAVE AN '03 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID, AND IT HAS ISSUES. IT HAS BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT BACK IN '05 AND WHAT WAS THE ISSUE? BRAKING! THE CAR WENT OUT OF CONTROL UNDER HEAVY BRAKING (THOUGH ALL THESE VEHICLES HAVE 4 WHL ABS) IN AN "ANIMAL-AVOIDANCE" ATTEMPT. I ENDED UP CAREENING SIDE-WISE SLIDING UNTIL COLLIDING WITH A UTILITY POLE, AT THE PASSGR SIDE "A" PILLAR. RACCOON DIDN'T SURVIVE. I HAD NOTICED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS THAT THE ABS, UPON ENCOUNTERING BUMPS OR JOLTS OF ANY SIGNIFICANT DEGREE, WILL "CUT-OUT" MOMENTARILY, AND FURTHER, THE "ENGINE-BRAKING' ASSOCIATED WITH THE HYBRID MOTOR-GENERATOR ALSO CUTS OUT AND DOES NOT RETURN (UNTIL AFTER THE STOP HAS BEEN CONCLUDED USING ONLY THE AVAILABLE BRAKING METHODS LEFT)(NO ABS "CHATTER" IS TO BE OBSERVED IN THESE SCENARIOS). THE PHENOMENON IS DEFINITELY REPRODUCIBLE; I HAVE OFTEN FOUND THAT SUCH BUMPS ARE VIRTUALLY UNAVOIDABLE ON CERTAIN PLACES I COMMONLY DRIVE NEAR MY HOME. IT IS SUCH AN ISSUE THAT I HAVE LEARNED TO TRY TO COMPENSATE FOR THAT WHEN DRIVING OVER THESE BUMPY PLACES, BUT ONE CAN'T COMPENSATE WHEN ENCOUNTERING SAME IN A NEW, UNFAMILIAR AREA/SITUATION. PLEASE DO LOOK INTO THE CONCEPT THAT IT COULD BE MORE OF A JAPANESE MADE ABS SYSTEM-FAULT , (POSSIBLY INCLUDING ENGINE-REGENERATIVE BRAKING SYSTEM) RATHER THAN A TOYOTA-ONLY THING. I WOULD REQUEST THAT MY NOTE BE ACKNOWLEDGED, MYSELF BE CONTACTED SO AS TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFO NEEDED, AND MY CONTACT INFO BE RETAINED SO AS TO BE CONTACTED REGARDING SUBSEQUENT RESOLUTIONS, IE RECALLS/LEGAL CASES/SETTLEMENTS. BY THE WAY, I HAD NOT "COLLISION" INSURANCE, THUS I PAID TO REPAIR MY HCH POST THAT ACCIDENT. I STILL DRIVE THE CAR TODAY, THOUGH ANYONE WOULD HAVE CALLED IT "TOTALLED".TIRES- WERE THE SAME SET INSTALLED AS OEM, WERE AT LEAST 60% EVEN AT 51K, THEY READILY WOREOUT AFTERWARDS-POST-ACC ALIGNMT ISSUES *CN

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING 75 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL EXTENDED TO THE FLOOR WITHOUT THE CONTACT APPLYING PRESSURE TO IT, THEN THE RPMS INCREASED. HE THEN FIRMLY PRESSED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE VEHICLE STARTED TO SLOW DOWN. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE DRIVING. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY 7 TO 8 TIMES. HONDA WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THEY WERE NOT GOING TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE SINCE THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO THE CRUISE CONTROL. THEY ALSO ADVISED THE CONTACT TO HAVE THE VEHICLE DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE TO THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 207,496. THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED THE BRAKES DID NOT WORK WELL ON A ROUGH ROAD WHEN GOING DOWN A HILL. UPDATED 05/13/10.*JB

SEVERAL INTERIOR CONTROLS, SUCH AS DOOR HANDLES AND THE PARKING BRAKE, ARE METALIZED PLASTICS. AS THE CAR AGES, THE METAL PLATING STARTS TO PEAL OFF. AS IT COMES OFF IN PIECES, IT PRESENTS A SHARP EDGE THAT CAN CUT THE USER. WE HAVE HAD THREE DIFFERENT INSTANCES OF HAND CUTS THAT COULD HAVE LED TO ACCIDENTS AS THE DRIVER ATTEMPTS TO KEEP BLOOD FROM THE CUT FROM GETTING ON CLOTHING, CAR INTERIOR, ETC. THE DEALER REPLACED A DOOR HANDLE, AT MY COST, ON THE FIRST INSTANCE. SUBSEQUENTLY WE HAVE TRIED TO REMOVE THE REST OF THE PLATING FROM THE EFFECTED PARTS. UNFORTUNATELY, THE REMAINING FRAGMENTS STILL ADHERE WELL TO THE PARTS FOR NOW AND DEGRADE SLOWLY. I FULLY EXPECT TO SUSTAIN SIMILAR INJURIES IN THE FUTURE AS THE DETERIORATION CONTINUES. *TR

I'VE ENCOUNTERED A PROBLEM WITH HONDA HYBRID BRAKING SYSTEMS ON TWO MODELS (THE 2000 INSIGHT AND THE 2003 HCH - BOTH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS). RECENTLY, AMBIVALENCE COST ME DEARLY. DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE, A TRUCK CUT ME OFF. I HIT THE BRAKES BUT FOUND MYSELF ACCELERATING TOWARDS THE TRUCK INSTEAD OF STOPPING. AT THE LAST MINUTE, I SWERVED TO AVOID THE TRUCK AND ENDED UP SKIDDING, ROLLING, AND FINALLY CRASHING TO A STOP. ON A POSITIVE NOTE, I WALKED AWAY FROM THE ACCIDENT WITH SOME MINOR SCRATCHES AND NO ONE ELSE WAS HURT. MY CAR HAS SUSTAINED SERIOUS DAMAGE AND I AM WAITING TO RECEIVE FINAL WORD ON ITS STATUS FROM MY INSURANCE COMPANY. *NM

AFTER REFUELING AND PULLING AWAY FROM A GAS STATION, BRAKES WENT ALMOST TO FLOOR AND CAR FELT LIKE IT WOULD NOT STOP. REPEATED PUMPING OF BRAKES RESTORED SOME BRAKING POWER. HOWEVER, AFTER STOPPING, BRAKES WENT ALMOST TO FLOOR AGAIN. DEALER COULD NOT DETECT PROBLEM ON FIRST TEST DRIVE; HOWEVER BRAKES FAILED ON SECOND TEST DRIVE. INVOICE FOR REPAIR SAYS "BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER LEAKING (INTO BRAKE BOOSTER). REPLACED BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER AND FLUSHED BRAKE FLUID". OLD MASTER CYLINDER AVAILABLE. *JB

DT*: THE CONSUMER STATED THE CHECK MAINTENANCE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP TO DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP DISCOVERED THE BATTERY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. AFTER THE BATTERY REPLACEMENT, THE CHECK MAINTENANCE LIGHT WENT OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN FOR A FEW DAYS AND THE CHECK MAINTENANCE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ONCE AGAIN. LATER, THE CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A REAR END COLLISION WHILE TRAVELING AT 35 MPH ON A WET ROAD. THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED, BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP BEFORE STRIKING ANOTHER VEHICLE IN THE REAR END. THE SEAT BELTS WERE IN USE AND NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED AND DIAGNOSTICS WERE PERFORMED TO DETERMINE WHY THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CODES SHOWED FAULTY SENSORS IN THE AIR BAGS. THE DEALER DETERMINED FURTHER TESTING WOULD BE REQUIRED BEFORE A FINAL DECISION COULD BE MADE ON THE AIR BAG FAILURE. *JB UPDATE 2/24/2006 - *NM

SINCE I BOUGHT MY PILOT LAST NOV. EVERYTIME I APPLY THE BRAKES, GOING LESS THAN 10 MPH, BUT MORE THAN 5 MPH, MY BRAKES POP VERY LOAD, IT CONTINUES EVEN AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN RUNNING ALL DAY. I BOUGHT IT IN TWICE TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY TOLD ME IT'S SUPPOSE TO DO THAT. I TALK TO PEOPLE THAT OWN PILOTS AND HAVE KNOW PROBLEM WITH LOAD POPPING NOISES WHEN THEY APPLY THE BRAKES. *JB

MY BRAKES AND ROTORS HAVE CONTINUALLY HAD PROBLEMS SINCE ABOUT 4,000 MILES. I NOW HAVE 44,000 MILES ON MY 2003 HONDA ACCORD LX, AND THE BRAKES/ROTORS HAVE BEEN SERVICED 9 TIMES SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR. THE BRAKE PADS HAVE BEEN REPLACED; ROTORS HAVE BEEN TURNED AND ALSO REPLACED THROUGHOUT THIS PERIOD. THE BRAKES GRAB WHEN APPLIED, WHICH HAS OCCURRED SINCE IT WAS NEW. THERE HAS ALSO BEEN OCCASIONS WHEN THE BRAKES MADE A POPPING NOISE; ALWAYS VIBRATE WHEN APPLIED, AND A COUPLE OF OCCASIONS WHERE THE CAR ALMOST DID NOT STOP.*JB

THE REAR BRAKE ROTORS REQUIRED RE-GROUNDING AFTER WARPING HAD OCCURRED WHICH CAUSED A PULSATING SENSATION WHEN BRAKING. THE ROTORS WERE RE-GROUND AT 34K, BUT THE PULSATING BEHAVIOR BEGAN SOMEWHERE AROUND AN ESTIMATED 28K. THE TIRES HAD ONLY BEEN ROTATED TWICE AND BOTH TIMES WERE SECURED USING FACTORY TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS, SO INCORRECT LUG NUT SETTINGS SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN A FACTOR. NO EVIDENCE OF GLAZING FROM RIDING THE BRAKES WAS PRESENT, NOR HAS THE CAR EVER BEEN DRIVEN WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE DEPLOYED. THE CAR IS BELIEVED TO BE DRIVEN WITHIN NORMAL TOLERANCES SINCE WE PURCHASED NEW IN 6/03 AND HAS BEEN USED MORE FOR COMMUTING MODE RATHER THAN A LOT OF STOP AND GO USEAGE. THE FACTORY REAR BRAKE PADS WERE REPLACED AND HAD APPROXIMATELY 10% REMAINING (WEAR TAB JUST STARTED WARNING 10 MILES EARLIER), WHILE THE FRONT BRAKES HAVE NEARLY 70% ORIGINAL MATERIAL REMAINING. I HAVE INSTALLED RAYBESTOS CERAMIC PADS ON THE REAR, BUT MY CONCERN IS THAT THIS IS AN ENGINEERING FLAW AND NOT DRIVEN MIS-USE/ABUSE AND THAT I'LL LIKELY HAVE TO REPAY FOR THIS REPEATEDLY IF I'M TYPICAL OF OTHERS WHO'VE COMPLAINED OF WARPED ROTORS ON THE 03 ACCORD EX - 6 CYL.

DT: CONTACT STATED THERE WAS COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE WHICH CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. THE SERVICE DEALER TRANSFERRED THE VEHICLE TO A BODY SHOP TO DETERMINE WHY THE BRAKES FAILED. IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT CONTACT SPOKE WITH THE MANUFACTURER. *AK *JB

2003 HONDA CIVIC LX DOES NOT HAVE ANTI LOCK BRAKES.***NO ANSWER REQUIRED***.*MR WHEN THE CONSUMER ATTEMPTED TO APPLY THE BRAKE, IT WENT DOWN TO THE FLOOR. CONSEQUENTLY, THE CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A COLLISION WITH 2 VEHICLES, DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE BRAKES. *JB

ABS FAILED DURING DRIVE TO WORK. ROADS WERE YET UNPLOWED FROM THE PREVIOUS EVENING SNOWSTORM. ABS FAILED AT 6:30AM, TURNED EAST ON 147TH STREET FROM NORTH ON SAILVIEW. DESCENDING SLIGHT GRADE ABS INDICATOR ILLUMINATED WHEN APPLYING BRAKES. BRAKE SYSTEM LOCKED DURING DECENT, VERY SCARY, LUCKILY NO OTHER CARS ON ROAD. TOOK TO DEALER, UNABLE TO FIND FAULT. WHAT GOOD IS A BRAKE SAFETY SYSTEM IF IT FAILS DURING HAZARDOUS ROAD CONDITIONS?

EXCESSIVE BRAKE FLUID IS LEAKING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE MASTER CYLINDER HAS TO BE REFILLED APPROXIMATELY EVERY TWO MONTHS. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED, AND HAD NOT DETERMINED THE LOCATION. *AK

VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A BRAKE FAILURE WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES AT APPROXIMATELY 30-40 MPH. BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR WHILE COMING INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF ONTO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD ON WHICH THE VEHICLE CONTINUED ON FOR A FEW FEET BEFORE STOPPING. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG.*AK

1. WHIRRING NOISE THAT INCREASES WITH SPEED. 2. OCCASIONAL CLUNKING WHEN BRAKING. 3. RIGHT SIDE DOOR SPEAKER VIBRATES ON LEVEL 3+. 4. CLICKING NOISE WHEN HEATER IS ON. IS THIS NORMAL? 5. I FIND THE CAR A VERY LOUD RIDE..A LOT OF ECHO UNDERNEATH WITH EVERY BUMP..I SUSPECT THE TIRES MAYBE. THEY ARE FIRESTONE.*JB

A SOUND OF METAL RUBBING TOGETHER EMITTED FROM THE VEHICLE WHILE BRAKING. THE CAUSE WAS UNKNOWN. PLEASE DESCRIBE FURTHER INFORMATION. *NLM

THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE WHEN THE BRAKE WAS APPLIED. AS A RESULT THE VEHICLE DIDN'T STOP UNTIL IT WAS IN THE INTERSECTION. *MR *CB *NLM

FREQUENTLY, BRAKING WILL ACTUALLY CAUSE AN ACCELERATION. IF I'M GOING DOWN A HILL AND AM PRESSING SLOWLY ON THE BRAKE TO SLOW DOWN, AND THEN HIT A BUMP IN THE ROAD, THE CAR ACCELERATES AND THERE'S A BUMP, BUMP, BUMP UNTIL FINALLY THE BRAKES ENGAGE. I HAVE TAKEN IT IN FOR SERVICE AND WAS TOLD THIS IS JUST THE WAY ABS WORKS. HOWEVER, I HAVE DRIVEN OTHER CARS WITH ABS (INCLUDING HONDAS) AND HAVE NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM. THIS HAS HAPPENED OVER 30 TIMES SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR SEVERAL MONTHS AGO. ONE TIME I NEARLY COLLIDED WITH THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. *AK

WHEN COMING TO A STOP PRESSURE WAS APPLIED TO THE BRAKE PEDAL AND VEHICLE ACCELERATED. DRIVER DID NOT TOUCH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AT ALL. DRIVER WAS ABLE TO AVOID A COLLISION. VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES BUT THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE RESOLVED.*AK

THE CONSUMER EXPRESSED CONCERN WITH THE DESIGN OF THE BRAKE SYSTEM. *MR *CB *NLM

PROBLEMS WITH BRAKE SYSTEM ON 2003 HONDA CIVIC EX. CONSUMER HAD TO PUMP THE BRAKES TO GET THEM TO RESPOND. *MR PH THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. ONE TIME WAS GETTING OFF FREEWAY AND ANOTHER TIME AT THE DEALERSHIP WHEN DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING. AT DEALERSHIP VEHICLE CRASH WHILE PULLING IN. DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. VEHICLE WAS SUBSEQUESTLY SOLD BECAUSE OF THIS.CW