Owners Report Honda Civic Emergency Brake Defect in 2016-2018 Vehicles

Consumers have recently been warned over a recall regarding a Honda Civic emergency brake issue in later model vehicles.

Over 350,000 Honda Civic cars from model year 2016 have been recalled due to potential problems with the Honda Civic emergency brake system, which can reportedly fail and allow cars to roll out of their parking spots.

The Honda Civic emergency brake recall was announced by the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Oct. 13, 2016, after the company reportedly received 342 warranty claims that indicated the electronic parking brake (EPB) had failed.

The NHTSA stated the Honda Civic emergency brake may not properly function after the vehicle is turned off, which allows for the possibility of rolling into traffic and colliding with another car.

According to the NHTSA, the Honda Civic emergency brake failures could be due to interference from the software programming of the Vehicle Stability Assist Electronic Control Unit (VSAECU). The agency indicated that vehicle software may be causing the electronic Honda Civic emergency brake system to not properly remain active after the ignition is switched off.

Overview of Honda Civic Emergency Brake Recall

Honda reportedly started an investigation into the problems of their Honda Civic emergency brake systems in 2016 Honda Civics after the company had received 342 customer reports by December 2015.

According to the complaints, they had tested their vehicles by recreating situations and had found their emergency parking brakes had failed. Honda concluded that a safety defect could exist, and recalled the cars.

The vehicles included in the Honda Civic emergency brake failures are 2016 Honda Civic two door and four door vehicles with 1.5L and 2.0L engines, with an estimated 350,083 vehicles affected. However, 2017 and 2018 models may also be affected, according to reports by owners.

While no injuries or crashes have been reported so far, Honda still took immediate action to prevent any such incidents with the Honda Civic emergency brake failure problem.

Drivers may be notified of an upcoming Honda Civic parking brake failure due to the illumination of a red brake light signal that will be displayed on the dashboard, which will blink red for 15 seconds following the parking brake failure.

Honda stated it would notify owners of the Honda Civic parking brake failure, and would tell customers to schedule an inspection at their local Honda dealership to give their cars a free software update. However, the Honda Civic parking brake failure issues have already spurred legal action, with a class action lawsuit filed in 2017.

The class action lawsuit was filed by a consumer who allegedly experienced a Honda Civic parking brake failure in her 2017 Honda Civic EX hatchback. According to the claim, the woman’s car had rolled back into a neighbor’s tree after the electronic emergency parking brake system failed.

Consumers who recently purchased or leased a 2016-2018 Honda Civic and experienced instances of Honda Civic parking brake failure may qualify to participate in a Honda Civic parking brake class action lawsuit investigation.

Join a Free Honda Civic Parking Brake Lawsuit Investigation

You may qualify to file a Honda Civic class action lawsuit under the following circumstances:

• You owned or leased a 2016, 2017 or 2018 Honda Civic.
• The vehicle rolled away after it was put in “park.”

Learn More