Honda Odyssey Forum banner

Groaning noise on rear brake

24K views 15 replies 12 participants last post by  WhitleyCJ 
#1 ·
I have this groaning noise coming from my rear brakes. It doesn’t happen all the time…usually in a week period I will hear this noise maybe twice or trice. I can hear this groaning noise when driving at parking (low) speed and usually after I parked the car for a long period (at work or while doing groceries). But one time I heard this noise even after driving for quite a bit. Initially I am suspecting that maybe there is some moisture on the rotors after I parked the car that produces this groaning noise when I brake but there is one time that I’ve driven the car for quite a long time and still heard this noise.

I brought it to my dealer’s attention and they recommend having the rear brake service since they said my brakes are probably glazed. I agreed to pay for the rear brake service pointing that this will be documented if the groaning noise is still there after they cleaned the rear brakes. A week after the service, I heard the groaning noise again. I haven’t contacted my dealer yet hoping to hear some feedback from you. I saw the TSB regarding groaning brakes but that TSB is for the front.

I have the 2006 Honda Odyssey EX-L w/ Res.
 
#2 ·
I can think of two possibilities:

1. A dragging parking brake shoe caused by a seized or misadjusted cable
2. A dragging brake pad caused by a seized or sluggish caliper piston

A temperature sensing gun might help by telling you if the parking brake drum or the rotor is overheating. Does the groan go away if you apply the brake?
 
#3 ·
davedrivesody said:
I can think of two possibilities:

1. A dragging parking brake shoe caused by a seized or misadjusted cable
2. A dragging brake pad caused by a seized or sluggish caliper piston

A temperature sensing gun might help by telling you if the parking brake drum or the rotor is overheating. Does the groan go away if you apply the brake?
The groan goes away if you hit the brake hard. It groans when you apply the brake and car still keeps moving. Groan goes away after you have driven a car a bit.
 
#4 ·
I have a 2007 Touring, same symptoms began AFTER brake service at ~30k miles (fluid replacement, clean and inspect all discs, etc.). Multiple trips to Blount Honda in Leesburg, FL; they advised that the self-adjusting parking brake "drum in hat" design is prone to causing this noise. They can adjust enough to stop the noise, but then parking brake is non-functional. Curiously, now I have the noise AND my parking brake doesn't hold firmly. I filed a complaint with American Honda, hoping that if enough people do so they might engineer an improvement to the system. The official response currently is this is a "normal design characteristic." I drive a Volvo, I know about noisy brakes, I don't think it's normal at all and certainly not for this car which was silent prior to the brake service.
 
#5 ·
#7 ·
cyclical groan a low speed and light braking

Not sure if its the same thing but my passenger rear brake has also developed a low speed groan of sorts..
It only happend at low speeds and only when braking lightly.
seems to be much more noticeable after driving for a while

The noise isn't constant, its like there is only one spot on the disk such that the noise happens only when this spot passes under the pads (the frequency slows down as you do)..
(that was just a description if the cyclical nature of the noise rather than an actual theory on its cause since i have looked at the disk and it looks fine)

This only started to happend after i\i swapped out the winter tires for the summer ones in my driveway..
The dealer did a complete brake servive as well and there was no change...
 
#8 ·
Have them take the rear brake completely apart to get at the parking brake and have them lube the pin. My Dealer advised that during manufacturing, they didn't lube the pin that holds the parking brake, which causes chatters on the rotor. After they did that, works great, Parking brake engages easier and further to the floor. No more squeal.
 
#9 ·
If you want to look at the parking brake yourself, you can use this guide from the DIY I wrote for the 2001 Odyssey as a reference. Most parking brakes are very similar in design. Since info on parking brake is not available for 2005+ models, you can use this from 2001 model:

2001 Honda Odyssey with 65K miles –REAR Brake Shoes Replacement:

http://www.odyclub.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31713
 
#10 ·
I had the same problem (annoying groan from passenger side rear brake at low speed that subsided when brake was applied). I removed the caliper and rotor and found that the pads were locked in the caliper. I tapped them out with a punch and hammer, cleaned the caliper, replaced the pads and rotor (much rusted, but it's a 2005 and I live in the northeast), and this solved the problem. I checked the parking brake, but other than the usual brake dust in the drum, the shoes,cable, adjuster, and other components were in good condition. BTW the groan just gets worse, and happens more often if you let it go. I repaired both sides, and the drivers side was in the same condition, but hadn't made any noise yet. The van has 63000 miles on it, and this is the first time I touched the rear brakes other than taking out and neverseezing (good thing I did) the attachment screws when it was new.
 
#12 ·
In my experience owning many many cars:

- Caliper seizing only happens after 12-14 years and 120K miles (unless the rubber boot is damaged and the piston is rusted).

- Therefore what led me to think this issue in Odyssey is perhaps the brake pad is a tad too big and therefore got stuck in the caliper (i.e. failure to return to resting position after the brake is applied), causing accelerating wear of the pad.
This is because in any other cars, brake pad wear pattern is as follows: for every 2 pads of the FRONT, then 1 pad of the REAR.
 
#15 ·
WhitleyCJ said:
Hmmm, not quite the same problem, but my rear brakes were the first to fail on my car. In particular, the R rear passenger. Seems everyone has a similar issue with the R rear passenger????:confused:
Doesn't the rear AC condensate drip out near the passenger side rear wheel? I suspect the moisture near the rotor is enough to give a very thin rust film, especially when the car sits for a while after a run in warm temps.
 
#16 ·
It is done. Both rotors were being retained by the e-brake mechanism. It was solved with a 6 lb hammer. Of note for others, the e-brake is held back by a clamp and pin. All four of the pins were worn - either thru soem defect om my beating the rotor to get it off. Check to make sure you do not need to repalce them.- $3.00 each.

Thanks for everyones help.

Sears is selling this week their impact screwdriver for $19.00.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top