2002 Honda Accord - brake issue

Maintenance/Repairs
1

Hi all -

I have a 2002 Honda Accord SE with about 110,000 miles on it. In December, I had my brake pads & rotors replaced. A couple of months ago, my brakes started to feel like something was bent/warped (braking was “jerky”, it felt like something was uneven).

I also had a front tire replaced in April (and all tires balanced/aligned), and it was after that I started noticing this issue. But this only happens while braking, so I don’t think I have a bad tire.

My suspects for the culprit are:

  1. The brake pads/rotors were not installed properly in December, and that’s what is causing this
  2. Something got bent/knocked out of place when I got my new tire in April
  3. Something else is causing this that I haven’t thought of.

Any help in identifying the issue would be most appreciated. Thanks!!

2

More than likely, you are feeling the effects of warped rotors.

How did those relatively new rotors become warped?
Based on when the brake issues began, I am of the belief that the lug nuts were over-tightened/unevenly tightened when the tires were replaced. Improper lug nut torque is one of the leading causes of rotor warpage. Those monkeys at your tire shop are almost surely the ones to blame.

Next time you have your tires rotated or replaced, make sure you inform them that you want the lug nuts tightened with a torque wrench set to the proper torque setting. Your Owner’s Manual should list the proper torque for your lug nuts.

3

Why was one front tire replaced? I think VDCdriver may have hit the nail on the head. The brake rotor on the side where the new tire was installed may have been warped by someone over-tightening the lug nuts. Easy to do if the technician didn’t use a torque wrench.

4

Try this, take the car out on a unused road, get up to about 60, the put the brakes on hard, but not hard enough to cause lockup, when the car is down to about 10 mph, let off, accelerate back to 60 and repeat. After the second time, the brakes should be normal again. Drive around a little to let them cool off.

Some of the new pads can leave a residue on the rotors. This should burn it off.