Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | ||||||
| DP10004 | HONDA (AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.) | 11/18/2010 | Braking Performance, Hybrid Vehicle | |||
| A defect petition letter was received by the office of defects investigation (odi) requesting a formal investigation and recall of my 2005 honda accord hybrid vehicles for a possible safety defect related to braking performance. the petitioner (with assistance from another consumer due to her injuries) filed a complaint with odi under vehicle owner questionnaire (voq) 10329383.in the complaint the petitioner described being involved in a crash on july 23, 2005 while driving a subject vehicle. summarily, the complaint alleges while traversing rumble strips along side of the highway and simultaneously attempting to the brake, the brakes were ineffective and the vehicle began to accelerate uncontrollably. this began a chain of events where the vehicle eventually crossed over into traffic flowing in the opposite direction. the end result was the death of her passenger and injuries to the occupants of two other vehicles. the petitioner also alleges the crash left her disabled. subsequent to the incident on july 23, 2005, the petitioner did a search of odi's complaint database and identified 22 additional complaints involving other honda accord hybrid and honda civic hybrid vehicles that the petitioner felt represented similar incidents where the braking performance was inadequate under conditions of braking while driving over uneven road surfaces.odi will evaluate the petition for a grant or deny decision. | ||||||
| DP10004 | HONDA (AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.) | 11/18/2010 | Braking Performance, Hybrid Vehicle | |||
| A defect petition letter was received by the office of defects investigation (odi) requesting a formal investigation and recall of my 2005 honda accord hybrid vehicles for a possible safety defect related to braking performance. the petitioner (with assistance from another consumer due to her injuries) filed a complaint with odi under vehicle owner questionnaire (voq) 10329383.in the complaint the petitioner described being involved in a crash on july 23, 2005 while driving a subject vehicle. summarily, the complaint alleges while traversing rumble strips along side of the highway and simultaneously attempting to the brake, the brakes were ineffective and the vehicle began to accelerate uncontrollably. this began a chain of events where the vehicle eventually crossed over into traffic flowing in the opposite direction. the end result was the death of her passenger and injuries to the occupants of two other vehicles. the petitioner also alleges the crash left her disabled. subsequent to the incident on july 23, 2005, the petitioner did a search of odi's complaint database and identified 22 additional complaints involving other honda accord hybrid and honda civic hybrid vehicles that the petitioner felt represented similar incidents where the braking performance was inadequate under conditions of braking while driving over uneven road surfaces.odi will evaluate the petition for a grant of deny decision. | ||||||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK | ||||||
| DP10004 | HONDA (AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.) | 11/18/2010 | Braking Performance, Hybrid Vehicle | |||
| A defect petition letter was received by the office of defects investigation (odi) requesting a formal investigation and recall of my 2005 honda accord hybrid vehicles for a possible safety defect related to braking performance. the petitioner (with assistance from another consumer due to her injuries) filed a complaint with odi under vehicle owner questionnaire (voq) 10329383.in the complaint the petitioner described being involved in a crash on july 23, 2005 while driving a subject vehicle. summarily, the complaint alleges while traversing rumble strips along side of the highway and simultaneously attempting to the brake, the brakes were ineffective and the vehicle began to accelerate uncontrollably. this began a chain of events where the vehicle eventually crossed over into traffic flowing in the opposite direction. the end result was the death of her passenger and injuries to the occupants of two other vehicles. the petitioner also alleges the crash left her disabled. subsequent to the incident on july 23, 2005, the petitioner did a search of odi's complaint database and identified 22 additional complaints involving other honda accord hybrid and honda civic hybrid vehicles that the petitioner felt represented similar incidents where the braking performance was inadequate under conditions of braking while driving over uneven road surfaces.odi will evaluate the petition for a grant or deny decision. | ||||||
| DP10004 | HONDA (AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.) | 11/18/2010 | Braking Performance, Hybrid Vehicle | |||
| A defect petition letter was received by the office of defects investigation (odi) requesting a formal investigation and recall of my 2005 honda accord hybrid vehicles for a possible safety defect related to braking performance. the petitioner (with assistance from another consumer due to her injuries) filed a complaint with odi under vehicle owner questionnaire (voq) 10329383.in the complaint the petitioner described being involved in a crash on july 23, 2005 while driving a subject vehicle. summarily, the complaint alleges while traversing rumble strips along side of the highway and simultaneously attempting to the brake, the brakes were ineffective and the vehicle began to accelerate uncontrollably. this began a chain of events where the vehicle eventually crossed over into traffic flowing in the opposite direction. the end result was the death of her passenger and injuries to the occupants of two other vehicles. the petitioner also alleges the crash left her disabled. subsequent to the incident on july 23, 2005, the petitioner did a search of odi's complaint database and identified 22 additional complaints involving other honda accord hybrid and honda civic hybrid vehicles that the petitioner felt represented similar incidents where the braking performance was inadequate under conditions of braking while driving over uneven road surfaces.odi will evaluate the petition for a grant of deny decision. | ||||||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK - CONTROL UNIT/MODULE | ||||||
| DP10004 | HONDA (AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.) | 11/18/2010 | Braking Performance, Hybrid Vehicle | |||
| A defect petition letter was received by the office of defects investigation (odi) requesting a formal investigation and recall of my 2005 honda accord hybrid vehicles for a possible safety defect related to braking performance. the petitioner (with assistance from another consumer due to her injuries) filed a complaint with odi under vehicle owner questionnaire (voq) 10329383.in the complaint the petitioner described being involved in a crash on july 23, 2005 while driving a subject vehicle. summarily, the complaint alleges while traversing rumble strips along side of the highway and simultaneously attempting to the brake, the brakes were ineffective and the vehicle began to accelerate uncontrollably. this began a chain of events where the vehicle eventually crossed over into traffic flowing in the opposite direction. the end result was the death of her passenger and injuries to the occupants of two other vehicles. the petitioner also alleges the crash left her disabled. subsequent to the incident on july 23, 2005, the petitioner did a search of odi's complaint database and identified 22 additional complaints involving other honda accord hybrid and honda civic hybrid vehicles that the petitioner felt represented similar incidents where the braking performance was inadequate under conditions of braking while driving over uneven road surfaces.odi will evaluate the petition for a grant or deny decision. | ||||||
| DP10004 | HONDA (AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.) | 11/18/2010 | Braking Performance, Hybrid Vehicle | |||
| A defect petition letter was received by the office of defects investigation (odi) requesting a formal investigation and recall of my 2005 honda accord hybrid vehicles for a possible safety defect related to braking performance. the petitioner (with assistance from another consumer due to her injuries) filed a complaint with odi under vehicle owner questionnaire (voq) 10329383.in the complaint the petitioner described being involved in a crash on july 23, 2005 while driving a subject vehicle. summarily, the complaint alleges while traversing rumble strips along side of the highway and simultaneously attempting to the brake, the brakes were ineffective and the vehicle began to accelerate uncontrollably. this began a chain of events where the vehicle eventually crossed over into traffic flowing in the opposite direction. the end result was the death of her passenger and injuries to the occupants of two other vehicles. the petitioner also alleges the crash left her disabled. subsequent to the incident on july 23, 2005, the petitioner did a search of odi's complaint database and identified 22 additional complaints involving other honda accord hybrid and honda civic hybrid vehicles that the petitioner felt represented similar incidents where the braking performance was inadequate under conditions of braking while driving over uneven road surfaces.odi will evaluate the petition for a grant of deny decision. | ||||||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - POWER ASSIST | ||||||
| DP10004 | HONDA (AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.) | 11/18/2010 | Braking Performance, Hybrid Vehicle | |||
| A defect petition letter was received by the office of defects investigation (odi) requesting a formal investigation and recall of my 2005 honda accord hybrid vehicles for a possible safety defect related to braking performance. the petitioner (with assistance from another consumer due to her injuries) filed a complaint with odi under vehicle owner questionnaire (voq) 10329383.in the complaint the petitioner described being involved in a crash on july 23, 2005 while driving a subject vehicle. summarily, the complaint alleges while traversing rumble strips along side of the highway and simultaneously attempting to the brake, the brakes were ineffective and the vehicle began to accelerate uncontrollably. this began a chain of events where the vehicle eventually crossed over into traffic flowing in the opposite direction. the end result was the death of her passenger and injuries to the occupants of two other vehicles. the petitioner also alleges the crash left her disabled. subsequent to the incident on july 23, 2005, the petitioner did a search of odi's complaint database and identified 22 additional complaints involving other honda accord hybrid and honda civic hybrid vehicles that the petitioner felt represented similar incidents where the braking performance was inadequate under conditions of braking while driving over uneven road surfaces.odi will evaluate the petition for a grant or deny decision. | ||||||
| DP10004 | HONDA (AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.) | 11/18/2010 | Braking Performance, Hybrid Vehicle | |||
| A defect petition letter was received by the office of defects investigation (odi) requesting a formal investigation and recall of my 2005 honda accord hybrid vehicles for a possible safety defect related to braking performance. the petitioner (with assistance from another consumer due to her injuries) filed a complaint with odi under vehicle owner questionnaire (voq) 10329383.in the complaint the petitioner described being involved in a crash on july 23, 2005 while driving a subject vehicle. summarily, the complaint alleges while traversing rumble strips along side of the highway and simultaneously attempting to the brake, the brakes were ineffective and the vehicle began to accelerate uncontrollably. this began a chain of events where the vehicle eventually crossed over into traffic flowing in the opposite direction. the end result was the death of her passenger and injuries to the occupants of two other vehicles. the petitioner also alleges the crash left her disabled. subsequent to the incident on july 23, 2005, the petitioner did a search of odi's complaint database and identified 22 additional complaints involving other honda accord hybrid and honda civic hybrid vehicles that the petitioner felt represented similar incidents where the braking performance was inadequate under conditions of braking while driving over uneven road surfaces.odi will evaluate the petition for a grant of deny decision. | ||||||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - POWER ASSIST - HYDRAULIC | ||||||
| DP10004 | HONDA (AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.) | 11/18/2010 | Braking Performance, Hybrid Vehicle | |||
| A defect petition letter was received by the office of defects investigation (odi) requesting a formal investigation and recall of my 2005 honda accord hybrid vehicles for a possible safety defect related to braking performance. the petitioner (with assistance from another consumer due to her injuries) filed a complaint with odi under vehicle owner questionnaire (voq) 10329383.in the complaint the petitioner described being involved in a crash on july 23, 2005 while driving a subject vehicle. summarily, the complaint alleges while traversing rumble strips along side of the highway and simultaneously attempting to the brake, the brakes were ineffective and the vehicle began to accelerate uncontrollably. this began a chain of events where the vehicle eventually crossed over into traffic flowing in the opposite direction. the end result was the death of her passenger and injuries to the occupants of two other vehicles. the petitioner also alleges the crash left her disabled. subsequent to the incident on july 23, 2005, the petitioner did a search of odi's complaint database and identified 22 additional complaints involving other honda accord hybrid and honda civic hybrid vehicles that the petitioner felt represented similar incidents where the braking performance was inadequate under conditions of braking while driving over uneven road surfaces.odi will evaluate the petition for a grant or deny decision. | ||||||
| DP10004 | HONDA (AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.) | 11/18/2010 | Braking Performance, Hybrid Vehicle | |||
| A defect petition letter was received by the office of defects investigation (odi) requesting a formal investigation and recall of my 2005 honda accord hybrid vehicles for a possible safety defect related to braking performance. the petitioner (with assistance from another consumer due to her injuries) filed a complaint with odi under vehicle owner questionnaire (voq) 10329383.in the complaint the petitioner described being involved in a crash on july 23, 2005 while driving a subject vehicle. summarily, the complaint alleges while traversing rumble strips along side of the highway and simultaneously attempting to the brake, the brakes were ineffective and the vehicle began to accelerate uncontrollably. this began a chain of events where the vehicle eventually crossed over into traffic flowing in the opposite direction. the end result was the death of her passenger and injuries to the occupants of two other vehicles. the petitioner also alleges the crash left her disabled. subsequent to the incident on july 23, 2005, the petitioner did a search of odi's complaint database and identified 22 additional complaints involving other honda accord hybrid and honda civic hybrid vehicles that the petitioner felt represented similar incidents where the braking performance was inadequate under conditions of braking while driving over uneven road surfaces.odi will evaluate the petition for a grant of deny decision. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, AIR | |||
| 01/11/2011 | |||
| I previously drove my aunt's 2005 honda accord hybrid on several occations. almost as soon as the vehicle was purchased, on more than one occation, the brakes failed and caused accidents. the accelerator would also accerlerate on its own. the car would simply speed up on its own. the car would also at times stop or turn off on its own. i ussumed because the car was a hybrid or different that it was normal. at times when accidents would occur, i couldn't believe what had happened. the car literally drove away. a few times others drove the car and mentioned the same. my aunt previously tried trading in the the vehicle, but it was too expensive to trade in. on january 11,2011. a fatal accident occurred while driving this vehicle. my mother, whom is a precautious driver was driving my cousin to school and were involved in a fatal car accident. the honda struck a school bus right in the middle. i believe the car like on many other occations accelerated on its own or the brakes failed. i feel devestated that i have lost my mother and cousin because of this accident, but feel that my mother was not at fault. she was always a safe driver and in this case i believe the vehicle was at fault. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC | |||
| 12/09/2010 | 80200 | ||
| I have a 2005 honda accord hybrid. i was driving my vehicle away from my home and had trouble pressing on the brake pedal. the brake pedal would not depress and i could not use the emergency brake to stop either. the brake was hard and seemed as if it was frozen or stuck in place. when i pulled the emercency brake lever all it did was beep and flash that i had pulled it, it did not slow me down or stop me. i had gone through 2 stop signs at this point. i finally was able to get the car into reverse so that the engine would rev and the brake pedal would finally depress. that was the only thing that would work. the car did not go in reverse but it did stop enough for me to actually use the brake. i called honda directly and because no complaints were previously issued they could not help me. my local dealers were too booked up to handle the issue as well. after it happening a total of 4 times i was finally able to get in touch with a mechanic who will be checking out the vehicle. i am very lucky that this did not end up in a crash or fatality. i had my 3 year old son in the car and i am pregnant with our second child. systems should be in place to help people out in situations like this and there were not. for this reason i would never buy a hybrid nor a honda again. im hoping the mechanic i found can fix the problem or atleast figure out what it is before myself or someone else gets hurt when my brake pedal decides to fail again. i have tried letting my car warm up before leaving my home to ensure that that may help and it does not. it actually made it worse and instead of it only happening once on that trip, it happened twice. when the pedal is stuck i cannot stop, i can slow down but not enough to stop. something really should be done about this before it happens to anyone else. | |||
| 12/05/2007 | 60000 | ||
| When starting call first thing in the am in cold weather (below 35) i must pump the brakes before driving, if not they respond as if there is no power braking occurring and hard braking is required. this will occur several times before they seem respond normally. | |||
| 12/09/2010 | 80200 | ||
| I have a 2005 honda accord hybrid. i was driving my vehicle away from my home and had trouble pressing on the brake pedal. the brake pedal would not depress and i could not use the emergency brake to stop either. the brake was hard and seemed as if it was frozen or stuck in place. when i pulled the emercency brake lever all it did was beep and flash that i had pulled it, it did not slow me down or stop me. i had gone through 2 stop signs at this point. i finally was able to get the car into reverse so that the engine would rev and the brake pedal would finally depress. that was the only thing that would work. the car did not go in reverse but it did stop enough for me to actually use the brake. i called honda directly and because no complaints were previously issued they could not help me. my local dealers were too booked up to handle the issue as well. after it happening a total of 4 times i was finally able to get in touch with a mechanic who will be checking out the vehicle. i am very lucky that this did not end up in a crash or fatality. i had my 3 year old son in the car and i am pregnant with our second child. systems should be in place to help people out in situations like this and there were not. for this reason i would never buy a hybrid nor a honda again. im hoping the mechanic i found can fix the problem or atleast figure out what it is before myself or someone else gets hurt when my brake pedal decides to fail again. i have tried letting my car warm up before leaving my home to ensure that that may help and it does not. it actually made it worse and instead of it only happening once on that trip, it happened twice. when the pedal is stuck i cannot stop, i can slow down but not enough to stop. something really should be done about this before it happens to anyone else. | |||
| 12/05/2007 | 60000 | ||
| When starting call first thing in the am in cold weather (below 35) i must pump the brakes before driving, if not they respond as if there is no power braking occurring and hard braking is required. this will occur several times before they seem respond normally. | |||
| 12/09/2010 | 80200 | ||
| I have a 2005 honda accord hybrid. i was driving my vehicle away from my home and had trouble pressing on the brake pedal. the brake pedal would not depress and i could not use the emergency brake to stop either. the brake was hard and seemed as if it was frozen or stuck in place. when i pulled the emercency brake lever all it did was beep and flash that i had pulled it, it did not slow me down or stop me. i had gone through 2 stop signs at this point. i finally was able to get the car into reverse so that the engine would rev and the brake pedal would finally depress. that was the only thing that would work. the car did not go in reverse but it did stop enough for me to actually use the brake. i called honda directly and because no complaints were previously issued they could not help me. my local dealers were too booked up to handle the issue as well. after it happening a total of 4 times i was finally able to get in touch with a mechanic who will be checking out the vehicle. i am very lucky that this did not end up in a crash or fatality. i had my 3 year old son in the car and i am pregnant with our second child. systems should be in place to help people out in situations like this and there were not. for this reason i would never buy a hybrid nor a honda again. im hoping the mechanic i found can fix the problem or atleast figure out what it is before myself or someone else gets hurt when my brake pedal decides to fail again. i have tried letting my car warm up before leaving my home to ensure that that may help and it does not. it actually made it worse and instead of it only happening once on that trip, it happened twice. when the pedal is stuck i cannot stop, i can slow down but not enough to stop. something really should be done about this before it happens to anyone else. | |||
| 12/05/2007 | 60000 | ||
| When starting call first thing in the am in cold weather (below 35) i must pump the brakes before driving, if not they respond as if there is no power braking occurring and hard braking is required. this will occur several times before they seem respond normally. | |||
| 12/09/2010 | 80200 | ||
| I have a 2005 honda accord hybrid. i was driving my vehicle away from my home and had trouble pressing on the brake pedal. the brake pedal would not depress and i could not use the emergency brake to stop either. the brake was hard and seemed as if it was frozen or stuck in place. when i pulled the emercency brake lever all it did was beep and flash that i had pulled it, it did not slow me down or stop me. i had gone through 2 stop signs at this point. i finally was able to get the car into reverse so that the engine would rev and the brake pedal would finally depress. that was the only thing that would work. the car did not go in reverse but it did stop enough for me to actually use the brake. i called honda directly and because no complaints were previously issued they could not help me. my local dealers were too booked up to handle the issue as well. after it happening a total of 4 times i was finally able to get in touch with a mechanic who will be checking out the vehicle. i am very lucky that this did not end up in a crash or fatality. i had my 3 year old son in the car and i am pregnant with our second child. systems should be in place to help people out in situations like this and there were not. for this reason i would never buy a hybrid nor a honda again. im hoping the mechanic i found can fix the problem or atleast figure out what it is before myself or someone else gets hurt when my brake pedal decides to fail again. i have tried letting my car warm up before leaving my home to ensure that that may help and it does not. it actually made it worse and instead of it only happening once on that trip, it happened twice. when the pedal is stuck i cannot stop, i can slow down but not enough to stop. something really should be done about this before it happens to anyone else. | |||
| 12/05/2007 | 60000 | ||
| When starting call first thing in the am in cold weather (below 35) i must pump the brakes before driving, if not they respond as if there is no power braking occurring and hard braking is required. this will occur several times before they seem respond normally. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | |||
| 01/21/2011 | 109000 | ||
| I own a 2005 honda accord hybrid and every winter (mn) at least 6 -10 times a year the brakes do not work. the power braking system simply doesn't work. it takes every bit of strength in my legs to apply the brakes, and it is still quite hard to come to complete stop. seems as if the colder it is, the worse and more frequent this happens. no one can give me an answer as to why it happens or how to fix it. however, they say just warm the car up first. we have warmed our car up, kept in the garage and after 25 minutes of driving down the road, car warm, so thing can happen at any given moment. | |||
| 01/08/2007 | |||
| Brakes make grinding noise, the dealer says this is normal and claim the brakes are good | |||
| 12/12/2005 | 20000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 honda accord hybrid. the contact stated that while backing out of a parking space there were no brakes. she finally got the vehicle stopped. she drove the vehicle home and contacted honda. they stated that she should let the vehicle warm up first and she should pump the brakes before driving to make sure she has brakes. the failure is more prominent in cold weather. the dealer stated the failure is the brake canister and it needs to be replaced. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was 20,000. the current mileage was 118,000. rd | |||
| 07/23/2005 | 4000 | 1 | |
| I was traveling east on i-195. i saw that a police officer had a vehicle pulled over on the right. i moved over to the left lane. when i did, i crossed onto the rumble strip on the left of the highway. i applied the brakes while on the rumble strip and nothing happened. the vehicle began to accelerate wildly. i tried to bring the vehicle back under control. my husband pulled the emergency brakes. instead of slowing us down; the vehicle went out of control. i clearly remember the last moments screaming brakes! brakes! we then went sideways before going across the grass median into opposing traffic. we were immediately struck on the passenger side by a vehicle-traveling west. my husband took the full force of the impact and was killed instantly. i went into a coma. i was airlifted to texas neuro rehab in austin from capital health hamilton, nj. now i am permanently disabled. not a moment in my life has gone by since that day without thinking of my husband and what happened to us. i remained in a coma until oct, 2005 i woke up in tx. i have permanently lost my ability to walk, talk, or write normally. honda issued a recall in 2005. i received it after the accident. i never gave up hope of finding the true cause. recent problems with other hybrid vehicles were exposed. i continued looking on the web for honda owners with similar complaints, and have found many. limited space prohibits me from giving you more than one link. http://www.arfc.org/complaints/2005/honda/accord_hybrid, for the brake problem. this complaint is like what happened when i applied the brakes on the rumble strip. our accident report states: | |||
| 02/07/2010 | 50980 | 1 | |
| I am not one to be affected by hype nor hysteria, but i do have some serious concerns about the brakes on the 2005 honda accord hybrid. when driving over rough surfaces or slick (due to ice or snow) roads the 2005 honda accord hybrid has a delay in braking response. there have been numerous occasions where i have almost rear-ended a car in front of me because of poor braking response/performance. i have wondered for quite some time if this was due to the regenerative braking interfering with the anti-lock braking system. the recent events with certain toyota models have caused me contemplate whether there's an inherent problem with regenerative braking systems as a whole. honda has not yet issued a recall regarding this problem, but when i was at my last routine service appointment, my service agent told me that other 2005 honda accord hybrids have been experiencing problems with their braking systems. they offered to fix the problem, but the repair was over $1,800 - a price i could not afford. it seems to me that if the problem is endemic to this particular model, there should be a recall issued. *tr | |||