Brakes feeling mushier than normal.

[Clear]

Earlier today, as I was driving between work sites, I noticed my brakes seem to have more give to them. They used to feel incredibly stiff and solid, almost unwieldy in how stiff they were as it made them really touchy. Now they don't seem touchy at all. Did my brakes just break in, or might I have a problem on my hands? For reference, if you put your Civic in drive, throw the brake hold on, then press the brakes, my brakes previously felt pretty close to that level of stiffness. Were they not supposed to feel that stiff?

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[Billy4202]

Earlier today, as I was driving between work sites, I noticed my brakes seem to have more give to them. They used to feel incredibly stiff and solid, almost unwieldy in how stiff they were as it made them really touchy. Now they don't seem touchy at all. Did my brakes just break in, or might I have a problem on my hands? For reference, if you put your Civic in drive, throw the brake hold on, then press the brakes, my brakes previously felt pretty close to that level of stiffness. Were they not supposed to feel that stiff?

Interesting. Mine were never that stiff, they've always been smooth, linear, and easy to modulate.

 

[inv4zn]

Mushy brakes are due to air in the brake system; check if your brake booster reservoir cap is sealed tightly - it should click to close.
Also check if the fluid looks/smells burnt, or if you see a lot of small bubbles on the fluid surface in the reservoir.

Or, it could be just that the pads have worn in a bit like you said. Just keep and eye on it and if it keeps getting worse get your dealer to bleed the system.

 

[Clear]

Mushy brakes are due to air in the brake system; check if your brake booster reservoir cap is sealed tightly - it should click to close.
Also check if the fluid looks/smells burnt, or if you see a lot of small bubbles on the fluid surface in the reservoir.

Or, it could be just that the pads have worn in a bit like you said. Just keep and eye on it and if it keeps getting worse get your dealer to bleed the system.

Will do, thanks for the tips! I've only had it for about 4 weeks, but I guess a problem can pop up at any time.

 

[inv4zn]

FWIW, the brakes shouldn't feel stiff. If the change was very sudden then most likely something happened; if it was gradual but you're just sensitive, then it's probably nothing.

Also, there should be a small switch on the bottom near the brake pedal, that signals the brake lights to come up - known as the Brake Light Switch. Some Hondas have an adjustable switch which would control brake pedal travel. Maybe you gave it a good kick or something, although it's unlikely because it's pretty far up the brake pedal assembly. Just throwing out ideas.

Anyway, if it feels unsafe then definitely take it to the dealer. Brakes are one thing you really shouldn't take chances with.

 

[Clear]

Interesting. Mine were never that stiff, they've always been smooth, linear, and easy to modulate.

Hm, I wonder if maybe there was a glitch with the parking brake or something that randomly cleared up, then. From what I gather, the brake hold feature puts on the parking brake, and the parking brake makes the brakes stiffer. My friends rode in it on a trip about a week ago and both complained that my braking was rough, and I couldn't really help it since anything more than slightly resting my foot on the brake would kick them in pretty hard. It was much more like a sharp exponential ratio than linear. I came from driving an old pickup truck with weak brakes, so I just figured I wasn't used to driving a car with good brakes.

 

[inv4zn]

Brake hold just holds the actual brakes for you, and as far as I know, are unrelated to the parking brake.
If you engage the parking brake you can hear the whirring of the solenoid; you can't hear that when you use brake hold.

If they were that stiff then it looks like your car actually fixed itself lol. But as I said, do keep and eye on it - but I suspect it used to be abnormal, and now is normal.

 

[Clear]

FWIW, the brakes shouldn't feel stiff. If the change was very sudden then most likely something happened; if it was gradual but you're just sensitive, then it's probably nothing.

Also, there should be a small switch on the bottom near the brake pedal, that signals the brake lights to come up - known as the Brake Light Switch. Some Hondas have an adjustable switch which would control brake pedal travel. Maybe you gave it a good kick or something, although it's unlikely because it's pretty far up the brake pedal assembly. Just throwing out ideas.

Anyway, if it feels unsafe then definitely take it to the dealer. Brakes are one thing you really shouldn't take chances with.

It seemed to be pretty sudden; my trip out I got caught behind someone who kept braking, and every time I braked to keep distance, it was annoying because my brakes were knocking my speed down too suddenly and I kept worrying the guy tailgating behind me would hit me. On the way back, I put on my brake hold and after one stop light, it seemed like my brakes suddenly had more give to them than before. I'm thinking maybe there was a problem with the stiffness before if they weren't supposed to be that stiff, and maybe they freed up randomly from having brake hold on. Will take a look at the Brake Light Switch when I'm in it next.

Yeah, I definitely agree, haha! The rusted up brake lines in my last vehicle (an old truck) blew out once on the way to work and I had to limp it back home with barely working brakes (down a hill to boot). Since then, I've been super paranoid about brakes and am always worried about them going out, so that paranoia could probably be playing a part in this as well.

 

[Clear]

Brake hold just holds the actual brakes for you, and as far as I know, are unrelated to the parking brake.
If you engage the parking brake you can hear the whirring of the solenoid; you can't hear that when you use brake hold.

If they were that stiff then it looks like your car actually fixed itself lol. But as I said, do keep and eye on it - but I suspect it used to be abnormal, and now is normal.

Yeah, I noticed that whir difference, just saw that someone on the forum in another thread mentioned that brake hold used the parking brake, so thought it might be true due to the stiffness added to the brakes from both.

Hahaha, hopefully at least! Yeah, if it gets worse, it's def going to the dealer.

 

[hunter44102]

There is definitely a break in period for the brakes. On a brand new vehicle they can be touchy and react with the slightest touch.

 

[CdnColin]

There is definitely a break in period for the brakes. On a brand new vehicle they can be touchy and react with the slightest touch.

That's been my experience. They still are pretty grabby. Just thought it was going to a light car from a Pilot.

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