Warped Rotors every 10K miles - Honda CR-V 2012

realshockrealshock Member Posts: 3
edited March 2015 in Honda
We bought this car brand new and every 10k miles or so the car experiences excessive shaking when applying the brake. We took it to the local dealer and their diagnoses has always been bad driving habits or going through cold puddles of water. Both diagnoses are rebellious. This is a car my wife drives from to my daughter to school to the grocery store.

The dealer shaved the rotors multiple times and then they ended up replacing them. Then 8k after they replaced the rotors the car experiences the same thing.

I am not a mechanic but from the research i've done, warped rotors are a symptom for something else wrong with the brake system. My questions:

1. Has anyone experienced the same thing with this model car?
2. Should is take the car to a custom brake shop?
3. Could putting custom brake pads/rotors fix the problem?
4. Is there a site that rates cars according to reported problems with braking system?

Comments

  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    edited February 2015
    1&4 . Yes, others seem to have experienced this problem although I don't get the sense that it is all that common. Still, one site did log 80 complaints-- a small fraction of CR-V owners but worth noting: See here:

    http://repairpal.com/warped-front-brake-rotors-may-cause-vibration-when-braking-754

    2 & 3. You might consider having a reputable independent shop put a higher grade of rotor and pad on this vehicle, yes.

    I have to say though that while you may have done nothing to cause this, in theory the dealer's comment that driving hot rotors through cold puddles of water is not an unreasonable explanation--but it would require a special set of circumstances, like holding the brakes while coasting down a long hill, at the bottom of which was a puddle of water sufficient enough to splash onto the rotors.

    In your case though, probably turning the rotors to correct the warpage was not a good idea, as this makes the rotor even more susceptible to further warpage.

    Another possibility --if you have ever had tire work done and if the wheel studs were over-torqued, that could cause this.



    My guess is that the rotors were engineered just a bit too undersized for this car. They cannot dissipate the heat fast enough under certain conditions, climates, drivers, etc.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    edited February 2015
    We currently own two CRV's both bought new. A 2003 and a 2013. We've also owned a 2000 and a 2011.

    We have never had a warped rotor. the 2003 went 75,000 miles before the pads were replaced for the first time and they could have gone another 5-10000 miles.

    And, we live in an area with lots of traffic and lots of hills.

    In my days with Honda I never heard of this from other CRV owners.

    So, I don't know. I know this isn't what you want to hear..
  • realshockrealshock Member Posts: 3
    edited February 2015
    Thank you for your comments. We purchased the CR-V because it had highest rating in its class. The car is wonderful but an issue like this left unattended may cause the rotor to shatter at high speeds or down hills so it is a major concern for me as my wife and daughter are the in the seat.

    Thank you Mr_ShiftRight for sharing the link. I'm glad to know we're not going crazy and other people are experiencing the same issue. I think I may take it to custom break shop to see if better pads/rotors will make things better.
  • realshockrealshock Member Posts: 3
    Another question: if rotors left wrapped and car is shaking like this, what is the likelihood of them shattering after a while? is this a major safety concern?
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    No teenage drivers? I remember how I used to drive my parent's cars!

    You might look into those slotted rotors and, perhaps aftermarket heavy duty pads.

    Heat is what causes rotors to warp and maybe the slotted rotors deal with heat better. I know I see them
    on a lot of high performance cars.
  • jimbo65jimbo65 Member Posts: 65
    Be sure that all lug nuts are torqued correctly. I torque them at 85 ft. lbs. Most shops over torque them. This can cause the rotors to warp. Also if you ever have a flat away from service you will be able to remove the lug nuts with your factory provided kit. Of course sensible braking is a plus too. Good Luck!
    2015 CR-V EX-L 2WD = One Sweet Ride :p
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    In all my years in and around shops I have NEVER heard of a rotor "shatter".

    Even if this were to happen you would still have brakes on three wheels out of four!
  • hondafaaanatichondafaaanatic Member Posts: 19
    I have a 2012 Odyssey that is experiencing this problem. We have about 65k miles on it now, and have had to shave down the rotors twice already. The shaking gets so bad that I wonder if the car is going to start coming apart.

    Next time this problem comes up again, I'll take it to an independent shop and ask about other rotors or pads.
  • nwbearnwbear Member Posts: 20
    I had this problem in my 2000 Infiniti I30. It got so bad I bought a used on-car brake lathe to allow me to resurface the rotors every 6 to 9 months, rather than pay $300 each time I had to have it done. I tried cryogenic rotors for $300 but they didn't last any longer than a $60 set.

    It turned out to be caused by something called rotor runout. Runout is the side to side wobble of brake rotor as it spins. When new, perfectly machined rotors were installed in my I30 one of the rotors had 3 times the maximum allowed runout. This was apparently due to a manufacturing defect on the axle itself. I took this car back to the dealer for the judder problem many times when it was under warranty, but they never checked the rotor runout.

    Here's a Youtube video with details on how to check the runout:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SbWB2CNqio

    The side to side wobble of a disc causes brake judder to develop very quickly. Machining the rotors helps, but due to the uneven thickness of a machined rotor on a problem axle, even a machined rotor warps quickly.

    The solution for me was to install a inexpensive brake rotor shim to correct the runout. I ordered one from an online auto parts store, installed it along with cheap rotors and have now gone nearly 30,000 miles without machining the rotors. It is just now starting to develop a judder problem.

    Perhaps you have a similar issue on your Honda.

  • chelles84chelles84 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2013 CR-V that I purchased new and have had the same constant issues with the rotors warping at about 10k miles. Dealer resurfaced the first time with warping again by less than 20k miles. We then tried to replace with non-Honda brake rotors but found that the back spacing on all of the after market rotors we purchased was slightly off making them unusable (the brake pads cut grooves into the rotor when we tried them) so we were stuck replacing with the Honda rotors (which were 3 times the price of the after-market). Same warping issue. Dealer couldn't care less that they sold me a car with a clearly defective brake system. Has anyone had any success with replacing the rotors with after-market rotors that actually fit? I'm currently just driving with the wobble at 50k miles now because I flat out refuse to buy the defective Honda rotors again.
  • lkoscrv12lkoscrv12 Member Posts: 2
    I am new to this board. I also have 2012 CRV with AWD, after being happy owner of 1999 Accord. My CRV is experiencing the very same issue with rear brakes. At 20,000 miles they were completely worn down and dealer blamed caliper sliding pins. 8000 miles later, burning smell from the rear passenger side. Back to dealer who, once again claimed that caliper seized up! After couple hundreds miles later, noise, vibration and smell again and at that point took the car to the independent shop where they found warped rotor. They replaced it with after market rotors and pads and all was fine, until now - 3000 miles later. Burning smell is back. It seems that there is something wrong with the entire braking system, but Honda is not acknowledging it.

    Not sure that I will go back to Honda again.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Has anyone checked for things like a crimped brake line? Were the calipers ever replaced or rebuilt?
  • lkoscrv12lkoscrv12 Member Posts: 2
    I personally haven't checked for crimped brake line since car was purchased new. I will ask mechanic to take a look, but that just takes me back to poor design of that component. Calipers are original.
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    Latest Consumers Report seems to reflect some declining quality on some more recent Honda models.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Yeah it sure sounds like everyone is fixing the symptom but not the disease.
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