I have a 2017 Honda HR-V. As I was slowly pulling into a parking space the engine made a sudden revving sound. The brake pedal went to the floor and the engine lost power as the momentum of the car slowly moved it to the waist high concrete barrier at the end of the parking space. The car crashed into the barrier causing considerable damage to the front and came to rest as all systems seemed to return to normal–brake pedal back into position and car idling normally. My question is–What happened? My foot was not on the accelerator, the car did not speed up but neither did it stop. Once the car is repaired what should I do? Thank you
It might be worth getting the edr (electronic data recorder) checked to see if any issues show up there.
I suspect your brake master cylinder leaked into the brake booster. The booster runs off of engine vacuum, and if brake fluid gets into it, the engine can suck it in. Brake fluid is flammable, so sucking it into the engine adds extra power to the combustion that’s already happening. So, simultaneously the engine revs faster because the brake fluid ignites, and your brakes fail because the leak means brake fluid is being pushed into the booster instead of into the brakes.
Your car may still be under the bumper-to-bumper warranty, and if so, this is definitely something Honda needs to fix on their dime (the brakes - - the collision damage might be harder to get them to pay for, but your insurance company can go to war with them if they want).
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yep, brake pedal on floor sounds odd.
Welcome them.
I think @shadowfax has it. Honda should replace the master cyl. but you are on the hook for the damage.