The pulsating brake problem seemed to develop over a period of time. Brakes would grab grab disproportionately hard first thing in the morning when cold. Also brakes would pulsating while stopping from speeds above 50 MPH. Car has been continuously maintained by myself(EX auto mechanic) but always using Honda parts. Replaced front rotors, pads, and calipers about 75 K miles. Right front pad seemed to be wearing much more than left side. I have never seen this before on any car. Did this work both for normal maintenance and to repair the pulsating problem. Also re torqued the lug nuts to Honda specification. It is easier and cheaper overall to do the work myself. Replacing above items seemed to help for a while but problem eventually reappeared. Finally started reading this web site and specifically about pulsating brakes with Honda Accords. Last thing I have done is replace front brake pads again with Bendix Ceramic/organic pads (About $55.00 at Advance Auto Parts in NJ). This has cured the problem. With hindsight, problem appears to have been been with right front braking subsystem.
People may ask why I didn't take the car to Honda when I first noticed the problem. The The answer is that there was nothing really specific to tell them during the 36K warranty
period. Problem started out mild and got progressively worse over time until you couldn't ignore it. Previous experience with Honda on earlier Honda models suggests you need to point to something very specific with the Honda service people or they will do nothing concrete to fix the problem. They also will not necessarily tell you about problems or suspected problem that they know about. That is the value of this site
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
The pulsating brake problem seemed to develop over a period of time. Brakes would grab grab disproportionately hard first thing in the morning when cold. Also brakes would pulsating while stopping from speeds above 50 MPH. Car has been continuously maintained by myself(EX auto mechanic) but always using Honda parts. Replaced front rotors, pads, and calipers about 75 K miles. Right front pad seemed to be wearing much more than left side. I have never seen this before on any car. Did this work both for normal maintenance and to repair the pulsating problem. Also re torqued the lug nuts to Honda specification. It is easier and cheaper overall to do the work myself. Replacing above items seemed to help for a while but problem eventually reappeared. Finally started reading this web site and specifically about pulsating brakes with Honda Accords. Last thing I have done is replace front brake pads again with Bendix Ceramic/organic pads (About $55.00 at Advance Auto Parts in NJ). This has cured the problem. With hindsight, problem appears to have been been with right front braking subsystem.
People may ask why I didn't take the car to Honda when I first noticed the problem. The The answer is that there was nothing really specific to tell them during the 36K warranty
period. Problem started out mild and got progressively worse over time until you couldn't ignore it. Previous experience with Honda on earlier Honda models suggests you need to point to something very specific with the Honda service people or they will do nothing concrete to fix the problem. They also will not necessarily tell you about problems or suspected problem that they know about. That is the value of this site
- rnj, Camdem, NJ, US