2012 Honda Odyssey

THE ORIGINAL FACTORY FRONT BRAKE ROTORS IN THIS VEHICLE (AND ALL OTHERS OF THE SAME MODEL YEAR) DO NOT COOL ADEQUATELY UNDER NORMAL USE, WHICH CAN CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO VIBRATE DRAMATICALLY WHEN BRAKING. TWO SEPARATE DEALERS CLAIM THAT IS IS "NOT A SAFETY HAZARD," BUT THE VIBRATION WAS SO BAD THAT NORMAL DRIVERS OF THIS VEHICLE FEARED FOR LOSS OF CONTROL AND/OR POSSIBLE DAMAGE TO THE BRAKE SYSTEM. A REDESIGNED BRAKE ROTOR IS AVAILABLE FROM THE MANUFACTURER, ALTHOUGH, IN SPITE OF THE OBVIOUS CORRECTION OF A PRIOR DESIGN DEFECT, THE NEW ROTORS ARE NOT COVERED BY ANY WARRANTY PROVISION FOR REPLACEMENT. WE HAVE REPLACED THE FRONT ROTORS AND BRAKE PADS AT A COST OF $755.18. IN THE OPINION OF THIS WRITER, EVERY ODYSSEY OWNER FOR THIS MODEL YEAR OUGHT TO DO THE SAME. GENERAL ONLINE CONSENSUS ON THIS ISSUE APPEARS TO COVER OTHER MODEL YEARS AS WELL AND SUPPORTS THIS DIAGNOSIS AND ITS RESOLUTION IN THIS MANNER. PHOTOS INCLUDE BOTH OLD AND NEW BRAKE ROTORS. THE REDESIGNED ROTORS HAVE VENTS AROUND A MUCH LARGER HUB, UNLIKE THE ORIGINAL ONES.

THE ROTORS WRAP FROM OVERHEATING RESULTING IN SEVERE VIBRATION TO THE VEHICLE. THIS OCCURS ESPECIALLY WHEN BRAKING DURING INCLINES.THE VEHICLE BECOMES DIFFICULT TO BRAKE & CONTROL DUE TO SEVERE VIBRATION OF THE FRONT WHEELS.THE PROBLEM REOCCURS A SHORT TIME AFTER RESURFACING THE ROTORS. HONDA HAS ISSUED NEW REPLACEMENT VENTILATED ROTORS BUT HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL FOR FREE REPLACEMENT OF THE ORIGINAL FRONT ROTORS.

VERY VIOLENT VIBRATION WHEN BRAKES APPLIED EVEN AT RELATIVELY SLOW SPEEDS, ESPECIALLY GOING DOWNHILL. VEHICLE BECOMES HARD TO CONTROL. HIGH SAFETY CONCERN CONSIDERING IT IS A FAMILY VEHICLE AND CHILDREN ARE OFTEN PRESENT IN THE CAR. DEALERSHIPS AND HONDA US DO NOT COOPERATE ON THE ISSUE. THEY SOLUTION IS TO RE SURFACE FONT BRAKE ROTORS OR REPLACE THEM WITH NEWER VERSION. THE FACT THAT THERE IS A NEWER IMPROVED VERSION OF ROTORS IS AN ADMISSION BY HONDA THAT ORIGINAL BRAKE ROTORS ARE EITHER DEFECTIVE OR HAVE DESIGN FLAW. I HOPE NHTSA ACTS BEFORE SOMEONE GETS INJURED IN THE CRASH.

PROBLEM WITH FRONT BRAKES. WHILE TRAVELING ON VACATION DRIVING DOWN A LONG INCLINE WHILE APPLYING BRAKES TO STAY IN THE SPEED LIMIT MY FRONT END STARTED SHAKEN SO BAD I HAD TO PULL OVER. WHILE HOME I SEARCH THIS ON THE WEB TO SHOW I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBELM. ROTORS GET WARPED. THIS IS DANGEROUS AND SCARY. THIS CAR NEEDS A SAFTETY RECALL. 22,000 THOUSAND MILES. A $30,000 VAN.

WE PURCHASED VAN USED AT 33K MILES. AT THAT TIME IT ALREADY DISPLAYED A SLIGHT VIBRATION IN THE STEERING WHEEL WHEN COMING TO A STOP WHILE BREAKING LIGHTLY. I THOUGHT IT WAS OUT OF ALIGNMENT AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH DEALER TO FIX. PER DEALER FRONT ROTORS WERE RESURFACED BECAUSE OF 'UNEVEN SURFACE' AND THAT WAS THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. AFTER A COUPLE OF MONTHS PROBLEM BEGAN AGAIN. IT STARTED WITH A VERY SLIGHT VIBRATION ONLY NOTICEABLE WHEN BREAKING FROM ABOUT 60 MPH. AFTER A COUPLE OF WEEKS OF DRIVING DURING THE WINTER WEATHER IN ILLINOIS THE VIBRATION BECAME UNNERVING AS THE STEERING WHEEL SHOOK SO VIOLENTLY. STILL UNDER WARRANTY, I RETURNED TO DEALER TO ADDRESS PROBLEM. THEY WOULD NOT FIX THE PROBLEM BECAUSE THEY CLAIMED THAT THE REMAINING WARRANTY WOULD NOT NOT COVER THE ROTORS OR ANY BRAKE ISSUES, BUT WOULD GLADLY CHANGE ALL BRAKES AND DO AN ALL WHEEL ALIGNMENT FOR ABOUT $1200. INSTEAD I OPTED TO SEE MY TRUSTED MECHANIC OF OVER 25 YEARS WHO CHANGED THE FRONT ROTORS AND PADS IN EARLY FALL OF 2016. THE PROBLEM DISAPPEARED FOR ABOUT THREE MONTHS AND I HAD TO RETURN RIGHT AFTER THE 2017 NEW YEAR BECAUSE THE VIBRATION HAD RETURNED AT A CONSIDERABLE LEVEL ONCE AGAIN. "MAYBE IT WAS A BAD BATCH," HE SAID, "VERY UNUSUAL FOR THAT TO HAPPEN." THE ROTORS HAD A ONE YEAR WARRANTY SO THEY WERE REPLACED AT NO CHARGE EXCEPT FOR LABOR. HOWEVER, TODAY IS 4/22/17 AND I AM BACK AGAIN FOR THE SAME PROBLEM BECAUSE THE VIBRATION IS GETTING WORSE ONCE AGAIN AND I MUST DRIVE ON THE FREEWAY OFTEN. I HAVE THREE KIDS AND I FEAR FOR THEIR SAFETY WHENEVER THEY RIDE IN THE VAN. THIS SEEMS TO BE AN ISSUE THAT MANY OTHER OWNERS ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT FOR SOME TIME AND IT STILL HAS NOT BEEN ADDRESSED PROPERLY. I HAD ONE SERVICE REP AT THE DEALER TELL ME OFF THE RECORD THAT THE DISKS ARE TOO SMALL FOR THE SIZE OR WEIGHT OF THE VAN AND THAT IS WHY THEY OVERHEAT AND WARP SO EASILY.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HONDA ODYSSEY. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH AND WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE MADE A LOUD NOISE, SHUTTERED, AND VIBRATED INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRONT AND REAR ROTORS WERE WARPED. THE FRONT AND REAR ROTORS WERE SHAVED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,000.

1. BRAKES AND ROTORS ARE UNDERSIZED AND WARPED CAUSING A MASSIVE VIBRATION WHEN YOU BREAK. HONDA DEALERS WORKED 3 TIMES ON IT BUT THE PROBLEM CONTINUED UNTIL I PURCHASED AFTER MARKET PARTS AND REPLACED THEM. 2. I RECEIVED NO WARRANTY LETTER OR WARNING ABOUT AN ENGINE FAILURE (PISTON RECALL WARNING) LETTING ME KNOW THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED REPAIRS. I WAS ON A TRIP WHEN THE CAR ALMOST STALLED ON THE FREEWAY AND I HAD TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTIONS TO PREVENT A DEVASTATING ACCIDENT.

THERE WAS A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND UPON INSPECTION, HONDA NOTIFIED ME THAT THE PISTON RING REPLACEMENT WAS NECESSARY AND THAT HONDA EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO 100K MILES. THE PROBLEM WAS THE TIMING BELT AND FEW OTHER PARTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THEY WOULD GET DAMAGED DURING THIS WARRANTY REPAIR. HONDA REFUSED TO PAY FOR THE TIMING BELT REPLACEMENT AND MADE ME PAY ALMOST $800.00 IN PARTS AND LABOR. 2. MY CAR STARED TO VIBRATE EVERY TIME I BRAKED FROM ABOUT 15K MILES. I TOOK IT IN AND INSTEAD OF MAKING THE PROPER REPAIRS THE SERVICE CENTER HAD THE FRONT ROTORS RE-SURFACED 3 TIMES. THE PROBLEM KEPT ON COMING BACK BECAUSE THE FRONT ROTORS ARE UNDERSIZED FOR THE VEHICLE. I HAD TO BUY MY OWN FRONT ROTORS FROM A GENERIC MAKER ALONG WITH PADS TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. IT COST ME $350 FOR PARTS AND $200 AT HONDA SERVICE CENTER TO REPAIR IT PROPERLY. 3. THERE'S A POPPING SOUND WHEN I MAKE TURNS. I'VE ADDRESSED IT AND NO ONE WILL FIX IT. I DON'T THINK ITS NORMAL THAT CLICKING AND POPPING SOUND COMES WHILE STEERING.

HONDA ODYSSEY ARE NOT MANUFACTURING OR FABRICATING QUALITY PRODUCTS. I HAD SAME ISSUE WITH MY 2012 HONDA ODYSSEY EX AS MENTIONED IN THE LINK BELOW HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/HONDA/ODYSSEY/2013/BRAKES/SERVICE_BRAKES.SHTML BRAKES VIBRATE EXCESSIVELY WHEN BRAKE APPLIED, AND WHEN AT LEGAL SPEEDS OF 60 OR 70 VEHICLE IS SOMETIMES HARD TO CONTROL. MY MECHANICS THAT WORK ON THESE VEHICLES AND AFTER SEARCHING THE WEB IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE DISC DESIGN DOES NOT ALLOW FOR THE HEAT FROM BRAKING TO DISSIPATE THUS WARPING THE DISC. MY MECHANIC TRIED TO FIX IT BY SURFACING YOUR ORIGINAL DISC BUT FOUND THAT DUE TO THE CASTING OR FABRICATION ISSUES SURFACING WAS NOT POSSIBLE, AND REVEALING ROUGH RING SURFACES AGAIN AND AGAIN AFTER REPEATED RESURFACING. AS IT COULD CAUSE A SEVERE ACCIDENT, I GOT IT REPLACED RIGHT WAY TO AVOID ACCIDENT WITH AFTERMARKET ONE THAT IS RUSTED QUICKLY THAT I DO NOT LIKE. I FEEL HONDA SHOULD REPLACE THE ORIGINAL DISCS THROUGH A NEAREST HONDA DEALER WITH NEWLY DESIGNED ONES TO ALLEVIATE THIS PROBLEM. WHEN I COMPLAINED, HONDA CONSIDERED IT AS MAINTENANCE ISSUE AND PART OF THE BRAKING SYSTEM, BUT THAT IS NOT TRUE. THEIR SUPPLIER MAKES BAD BRAKE ROTOR. RESURFACING SHOULD RESOLVE THE PROBLEM, AND ROTOR SHOULD NOT REVEAL ROUGH RING SURFACE (PHOTO ATTACHED) - THIS IS GENERAL MAINTENANCE ON BRAKES. I AM HAPPY TO HAND OVER OR SHIP THE DEFECTIVE DISC IF YOU NEED IT FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION IN RESPECT TO ITS QUALITY AND MANUFACTURING ISSUES WITH THE VENDOR.