Total brake failure on my 2018 SI Coupe. Looking for any info on how this could have happened, or anyone with similar experience.

Wjmyazi

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Hi all, kind of a long one but I really need some help here. I got into a pretty bad accident 3 days ago. 2018 SI Coupe, about 60k miles.

I was driving to a track day in Washington, cruise control set to 75 in a 70, right lane on a 2 lane highway, and I was about to get into the left lane to pass someone.

I left cruise control on to change lanes, and then went to turn it off as I was about to speed up to pass, and cruise wouldn't turn off. I go to hit the brake to disable it, and nothing happened. Again I hit the cancel button a million times and I saw the car in front of me was starting to brake noticeably quickly, so I hit my brakes and they were completely soft, no resistance and no braking at all.

To avoid hitting the car in front since the car was stuck at 75 I went into the right lane, but the car I was trying to pass was still there, and I didn't have enough room, so I had to swerve the car and kick out the rear end to get myself to not hit them, and I counter steered to start going straight again, the car was still accelerating, and I ended up losing it and going into a guard rail at 75mph.

This all sounds like it took a while but was in the span of maybe 10 seconds, by the time I realized I had no brakes, I had no time to downshift, and no shoulder on the left to pull into, wall on one side and guard rail on the other.

I can't imagine how my brakes could randomly fail like that. I wasn't driving hard before that, I had my brakes inspected and the brake fluid changed at a shop a few months before then, and I had some multiple track days and autocross after the maintenance, with no issues at all.

Geico is declaring me at fault for this, because "I swerved on the highway" and they can't prove my brakes failed. I'm gonna have the inspection people take a look at my brakes and try and find the root cause, because this is completely out of nowhere.

Anyway, to my question, has anyone heard or experience a total brake failure/cruise failure like this on these cars? Is there anything I could do to find out how this happened?

Pics of the car to show you how bad the accident was. I'm somehow unharmed, but this is a Honda after all and the ACE frame saved my ass.

Honda Civic 10th gen Total brake failure on my 2018 SI Coupe. Looking for any info on how this could have happened, or anyone with similar experience. 20220427_114545


Honda Civic 10th gen Total brake failure on my 2018 SI Coupe. Looking for any info on how this could have happened, or anyone with similar experience. 20220427_114558


Honda Civic 10th gen Total brake failure on my 2018 SI Coupe. Looking for any info on how this could have happened, or anyone with similar experience. 20220427_114249


Honda Civic 10th gen Total brake failure on my 2018 SI Coupe. Looking for any info on how this could have happened, or anyone with similar experience. 20220427_114221


Honda Civic 10th gen Total brake failure on my 2018 SI Coupe. Looking for any info on how this could have happened, or anyone with similar experience. 20220427_114215


Honda Civic 10th gen Total brake failure on my 2018 SI Coupe. Looking for any info on how this could have happened, or anyone with similar experience. 20220427_114240
 

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Can you find evidence in any of your brake lines of a major/sudden leak? Do you have fluid in your reservoir? Although I suppose the major crash might have taken care of that....if so, you're back to inspecting individual brake lines for severe leakage. Good luck and glad you are alive!!
 
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Wjmyazi

Wjmyazi

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Never had that happen, you probably were going too fast for conditions.
Be glad your alive!!!
I really don't think that's possible, I've driven that route a million times, all the cars were going around 80/85, the ground was dry, well paved, no potholes or dips, and I was going 5mph above the limit. If this was too fast for the conditions, my car should have failed when I was doing 140mph on a straight line on the track, but it didn't.
 
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Wjmyazi

Wjmyazi

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Can you find evidence in any of your brake lines of a major/sudden leak? Do you have fluid in your reservoir? Although I suppose the major crash might have taken care of that....if so, you're back to inspecting individual brake lines for severe leakage. Good luck and glad you are alive!!
That's the shitty part, major impact makes it so hard to tell what came from where. I'm gonna ask them to see if they could find anything. The mid and rear of the car are unharmed, so if the problem occurred there I'd be very lucky, because then we'd pretty easily see it.
 


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Hi all, kind of a long one but I really need some help here. I got into a pretty bad accident 3 days ago. 2018 SI Coupe, about 60k miles.

I was driving to a track day in Washington, cruise control set to 75 in a 70, right lane on a 2 lane highway, and I was about to get into the left lane to pass someone.

I left cruise control on to change lanes, and then went to turn it off as I was about to speed up to pass, and cruise wouldn't turn off. I go to hit the brake to disable it, and nothing happened. Again I hit the cancel button a million times and I saw the car in front of me was starting to brake noticeably quickly, so I hit my brakes and they were completely soft, no resistance and no braking at all.

To avoid hitting the car in front since the car was stuck at 75 I went into the right lane, but the car I was trying to pass was still there, and I didn't have enough room, so I had to swerve the car and kick out the rear end to get myself to not hit them, and I counter steered to start going straight again, the car was still accelerating, and I ended up losing it and going into a guard rail at 75mph.

This all sounds like it took a while but was in the span of maybe 10 seconds, by the time I realized I had no brakes, I had no time to downshift, and no shoulder on the left to pull into, wall on one side and guard rail on the other.

I can't imagine how my brakes could randomly fail like that. I wasn't driving hard before that, I had my brakes inspected and the brake fluid changed at a shop a few months before then, and I had some multiple track days and autocross after the maintenance, with no issues at all.

Geico is declaring me at fault for this, because "I swerved on the highway" and they can't prove my brakes failed. I'm gonna have the inspection people take a look at my brakes and try and find the root cause, because this is completely out of nowhere.

Anyway, to my question, has anyone heard or experience a total brake failure/cruise failure like this on these cars? Is there anything I could do to find out how this happened?

Pics of the car to show you how bad the accident was. I'm somehow unharmed, but this is a Honda after all and the ACE frame saved my ass.

20220427_114545.jpg


20220427_114558.jpg


20220427_114249.jpg


20220427_114221.jpg


20220427_114215.jpg


20220427_114240.jpg
Wow someone was with you. I have a 19 coupe and even though i think the brakes are a little weak for this car i have never had any issues you should have clutched in to stop gaining speed I know it happend so fast. I had a time like this with my 1996 gti's aftermarket rotors broke and locked up the front right wheel and sent me playing ping pong off the guard rails at 70 mph. So glad you can tell the story. Good luck hope you can find the reason
 
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Wjmyazi

Wjmyazi

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Wow someone was with you. I have a 19 coupe and even though i think the brakes are a little weak for this car i have never had any issues you should have clutched in to stop gaining speed I know it happend so fast. I had a time like this with my 1996 gti's aftermarket rotors broke and locked up the front right wheel and sent me playing ping pong off the guard rails at 70 mph. So glad you can tell the story. Good luck hope you can find the reason
I know, it's the one regret I have. But honestly, it went so fast, maybe if I had a lot more driving experience I would have been able to pull it off, but it all happened so fast I could barely think fast enough to make the decision to go into the guard rail. It's scary and I'm glad you recovered as well.
 

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I know, it's the one regret I have. But honestly, it went so fast, maybe if I had a lot more driving experience I would have been able to pull it off, but it all happened so fast I could barely think fast enough to make the decision to go into the guard rail. It's scary and I'm glad you recovered as well.
Just find that issue and lawyer up
 

latole

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"....., has anyone heard or experience a total brake failure/cruise failure like this on these cars? "

Google
 


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After many years In EMS, your not hurt and no body else is! Cars are replaceable, people aren’t. Thank Honda for building a car that took the guard rail like that.
 
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Wjmyazi

Wjmyazi

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"....., has anyone heard or experience a total brake failure/cruise failure like this on these cars? "

Google
I have spent the last 3 days googling, the only related recall was for 2016 Civic brake rotors. I always research before asking, this is a last resort
 

latole

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I have spent the last 3 days googling, the only related recall was for 2016 Civic brake rotors. I always research before asking, this is a last resort

You do your best, I wish you good luck.
 

ManitobaSI

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Wow. I’m glad your safe. Someone was watching over you. Good luck finding what happened.
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