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Topic
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2011 Honda Pilot
So the weather here in The Burgh has been really cold the past few weeks and I noticed my brakes on my pilot do not engage after I start the car. It starts fine, I start driving it and the brakes don’t engage at all and the pedal is really hard. When I really push down hard, I feel something give and then the brakes go back to completely normal operation. Kinda scary when driving to work. Only happens when its cold first thing. If it is warmer in the day, like 11 degrees F, its fine.
From what I have read, it could be the brake booster check valve is failing or it could be the brake booster itself. It *could* be the brake fluid as well freezing if it has water in it, but I don’t think that would “let got and be fine” if that was the case. If it was a caliper freezing, I would think it the other brakes would still engage and pull to the side the works.
Just wondering if I am going down the correct path.
Thanks,
Ed
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Replies
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It could very well be the brake fluid if it has enough moisture in it. You can use a cheap tester to figure it out. The booster is another common possibility. Does it happen all the time when its cold or only sometimes?
I would start with a flush. Sounds like you have a bit of water creating a little bit of ice that takes a moment to break.
[quote=”Vlad2″ post=192820]Only when it is really really cold.. Close of sub-zero Fahrenheit[/quote]
I had a similar problem when it was near 0*F. Upon startup, a “Brake system error” would appear for a second and disappear, but there were no issues with braking. I initially suspected the check valve, but had to replace a sticking caliper and flush the fluid, and haven’t experienced the issue in 2 years. So, flushing the fluid may be worthwhile.
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