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Steering Wheel Shake when braking high speed

14K views 10 replies 5 participants last post by  egads 
#1 ·
Hi,
My wife's 06 Ody with about 32K miles has developed the shaking of steering wheel when I brake above 60 miles.

It shakes a lot especially in freeway speed above 60MPH and when it slows down to 40MPH it slowly goes away. I don't encounter the same problem in local streets.

I took it to the dealership and they said it was the warped rotor and charged 150 for resurface the rotor, then problem was never been solved. It was better for about 2 weeks and it came back.

I took it back to dealership and they said the rotors and pads need to be replaced and the tech wouldn't recommend because the pads and rotors still have long life remaining. So he said that he has the similar problem and just live with it.

I love the van but the tech seems to be careless about the customer's complaint.

Any idea?
 
#2 ·
There was a brake recall on '05-'06 model years. A quick search should allow you to find the thread. Check it to make sure your VIN doesn't fall into that category. Just to make sure your steering vibration isn't caused by a brake issue.

My VIN did not fall within the range of the recall, but I did have the rotors resurfaced twice under-warranty so far because they warped after hard braking.
 
#4 ·
In my experience a warped rotor cannot be trued by turning. It just needs replacing. What the dealer is saying is, you have pad left, just wait until you need brakes and do it then. If it bugs you now enough to pay for it, then just pay for it. You may be able to argue that the turning you paid for should be credited against this job.

As to the service bulletin (it was not a recall) Here is a copy:

http://www.odyclub.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=308155

From this thread:

http://www.odyclub.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31338

Ten pages long and not the only thread about it around here. (just to show how common the problem was) If your van falls in the VIN range, then they may sort of "owe" you new pads anyway.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Well the first time was repaired was at 5700 miles. The grinding starts after a hard stop and then continues to grow worse as time passes. I mentioned that I had heard about the TSB but didn't know if it applied up here in Canada. The looked into it and simply said that the rotors were warped and they were resurfaced under warranty. What I was hoping for, but didn't get, was a replacement of the pads. They said the pads were hardly worn--I believe the pads are the cause of the problem.

The second time it was repaired was at 19500 miles. But it was only that many miles because I did a road trip to DC.

This time I was expecting to pay. Told the guy that I didn't have confidence in the Honda brakes and if problems continued to repeat I would go for aftermarket pads and rotors. I also reminded him that they had already serviced the rotors once. The service guy just said, let's find out what the problem is first and then go from there. When I came to pick up the van later in the day, they simply said that the rotors were warped and had been resurfaced again under warranty.

Not much for me to complain about but I fully expect it to happen again. However, I don't expect for it to be covered under warranty a third time. Now, I find myself really going gentle on the brakes and coming to a very gradual stop. I'm worried about the brakes performing properly in an emergency.

I scanned the service writeup for my last service here:
http://istargazer.blogspot.com/2008/04/honda-odyssey-service-b-brake-repair.html
 
#6 ·
So what you are saying is, the new pad formula may cause rotors to warp.
Interesting....but I still say, once warped, turning is just a band aid. When the time comes, do check out the pads that Lakersfan used. He has reported be quite happy to have paid the price.
 
#7 ·
Only sure way to solve the problem is new rotors and pads. Remember the efficiency of your braking is lessened by the warped rotors and juddering. Heat will build up quicker and "fading" will come on sooner.

And that shaking wheel doesn't inspire much confidence when stopping from highway speed huh?

If you want to "cheap out" at least buy some rotors for about $20 each at Autozone and sand your old pads before re installing. At least the shaking should stop for some time...

:cool: :cool: :cool:
 
#8 · (Edited)
egads said:
So what you are saying is, the new pad formula may cause rotors to warp.
Interesting....but I still say, once warped, turning is just a band aid. When the time comes, do check out the pads that Lakersfan used. He has reported be quite happy to have paid the price.
I thought the TSB was supposed to use the new pad formula--I keep thinking that I have the old pad formula. I asked the service adviser and he said I had the new formula, but I don't believe him. If it is the new formula, I think it sucks :stupid:.

I totally agree with you about the band-aid solution. Thanks for the tip about Lakersfan because when I have to start spending my own money on the brakes, I'm definitely going to go for something with better performance than the Honda OEM. Anyway, I know some people don't pay attention to Consumer Reports, but one of the problems areas they list about the 2006 model year is the brakes. Mine is an early 2006. The 2007 seems not to have as much as a problem.
 
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