JDMaccord3.5

As per my last visit (last week), brake issue is back to the drawing board... Acura is working on another TSB revision

russianDude

its probably 4th TSB revision by now? Apparently its very difficult to make breaks without noise, 🙄
how much money it costs them to keep swapping parts that dont work

Gregory Kozlowski

I had my brakes done last month with the “updated” parts. They are squealing just as bad if not worse than before...total joke. But hey I’ll take free rotors and pads every oil change

Gear Head

Same here. After Acura claiming for months that the squealing was normal, they advised there was a TSB at my first oil change. TSB completed, brakes still squeal. Was behind another RDX yesterday and could hear its brakes squealing at every light.

russianDude

Whoever is releasing continuous TSBs that do not fix the issue should be fired. They are costing company money on replacements that dont work, also customer dissatisfaction on repeated visits for the same issue.

DriverOne

They're not doing it on purpose. The problem is the squealing is intermittent and may not be easily reproducible. If it happened all the time in all conditions, it would (probably/possibly) be easier to find the cause. Making it more difficult is that many people report that the TSB initially fixes the problem, but it then returns. Lastly, there is some degree of intermittent/initially in the morning brake squealing in all newer type brakes, as far as I can tell, but people are not accepting that. So Acura is actually trying to do you a favor by repeatedly examining the problem.

johnnyboyy012

I have less than 50k miles on my car and have noticed squealing when I apply the brakes. I can’t determine which side this is coming from. I have heard this while it’s cold as well as when it’s hot. The last time I had an oil change they recommended a brake service but I didn’t need new brake pads so I am getting the brakes serviced soon hopefully this resolves the issue but I’ll keep this forum updated.
I do not park my car in a garage and drive about 100 a day

anoop

They wanted you to pay to get your brakes serviced? Like what sort of service?

johnnyboyy012

The recommended brake service. I think Acura recommends this at around 40 or 50k miles. I think they flush the brake fluid and clean up the brakes and rotors.

subin

After the rear brake TSB service in July, 2020, the squeak actually gone now. However, the front ones started to squeak a month ago. Also, the sunglass holder area started to squeak when coming in and out of drive way making turns at low speed (body flexing).
They replaced the front rotor and pads, but the squeak came back the next day Service Advisor was frank with me saying that some customers also stated that the squeak came back after the TSB for the front brake.
They did fix the squeaky noise coming from the sunglass holder area by putting some foam padding there.

Gear Head

Same here. Came back after TSB and is actually more frequent now.

I think this something that just needs to be loved with. Diminishing returns on time to resolve.

JB in AZ

In 25,000 miles, I think I have heard the brakes squeal once...about two weeks ago. I casually mentioned it to the dealer when I had the A1 service done, and they replaced the front rotors and all 4 sets of pads. I can't argue with a free brake job!

Note: We haven't had any cold, or even cool weather since last Feb. yet during two "winters" of ownership, I never heard the brakes squeal. We do get below freezing some nights in winter. Supposed to get cooler this weekend. high yesterday was 93, and highs only in the 50s on Monday, and a chance of below freezing Tuesday morning. This was the hottest summer on record here, and I am looking forward to some cooler temps.

russianDude

My July TSB seems to work OK also, dont hear any noises. Personally, I think this squeaky break situation is little blown out of proportion. Even when it did squeak, it was only when breaks were cold for about 1min.

Ender519

I'm not an alarmist about it, but on the other hand, I paid a lot of money for this car and every morning when it's cold my brakes squeal when I come to a stop and people look, and it is embarrassing and it sucks. Even when I drove shitty cars in my younger years I never rolled around with squealing brakes, and I once owned a pre-Hyundai-era Kia. There's just no justification to have a brand new luxury car having this trouble, you know? You don't see droves of Q5's or X3's with this problem. You don't even see econoboxes with this problem. Frankly the fact that Acura has struggled for 2 years to solve this is troubling to me. It's not the end of the world, it just sucks.

Gear Head

Agreed. I was behind another RDX yesterday and I could hear their braked squealing as well. More frustrating is they had the same issue since the release of the 2019's in 2018, and had a service bulletin on the 2019's, but released the 2020's with the same problem but didn't release that bulletin until mid-2020.

They're playing the odds; on the one hand, they can do right by the customer and fix it. That is costly and would require them to account for that cost for every vehicle.

Or they can do what they are doing and hope that any number of customers don't worry about it or do not want it rectified. No need to accrue the cost on the balance sheet and anything less than 100% is a financial windfall.

Speaks volumes about the company.

russianDude

Agree, should not be an issue. When I hear about "limp mode during sudden acceleration", this is what really scares me, not the squeaky breaks.

Roger Shaver

Went in for first A1 service on 2020 advance, they replaced front pads as per TSB, still
get same noise, maybe they will quiet down when I get more miles on
them. Is there any specific way to break in new pads for an RDX?

Thanks

itsardx

Replaced the front brake pads during the A1 service, after I complained about the noise.
The brakes have not made the squealing sound yet, but I have not driven it long enough to be sure. I think it started after driving the car for a bit initially.

I remember reading about GLC's having squealing brake, tire rubbing when turning etc. Not an excuse for these cars to use cheap parts.

hans471

They have replaced my front pads twice now and the problem returns. Its odd that Honda can build millions of cars with quiet brakes but then something goes haywire with this model and they get this problem. If I recall the RDX uses some of the the same front brake parts as does another Honda model, maybe their van or something. I suspect someone came up with some special rotor and brake pad on this vehicle to try to make higher performance brakes while cutting down on dust or something. I don't know. I do know that there is an issue with the pad-rotor interface or the mounting and these parts don't work well with each other under certain temperature and load conditions. My service advisor at my lock dealer finally told me that one customer replaced the OEM pad with some "high performance" pads (she didn't know the brand name) and has been happy ever since. I believe that is the route I will go. Brake pads don't cost that much and are simple to install. I love the car and its worth it to me to fix the brakes. And yes, I know someone at Acura or their supplier dropped the ball on this one, that stuff sadly happens to every company at some time or another. I just want to fix my brakes to make them nice and quiet and smooth like all my other Honda's.

GW208

It will be interesting to hear if new pads will fix this for you hans. I've heard something that I would describe more as a grinding versus squealing noise a few times on our car. It only happens on hard braking though, like when coming down a hill and the light turns red at the last minute. It doesn't happen often enough yet to bother contacting our dealer about it.

hans471

You have described the sound correctly. Its not an "old fashion"brake squeal rather its a near grinding sound and it seems to happen under certain brake loading conditions. Back at work we would have torn this down and studied each part, doing studies with various components..that's what I was paid to do. Now its a car I own and Acura doesn't seem to be able to figure this out. Its my dime on my car so I am not going to put a lot of money or time into it trying to fix their error. I am still trying to decide which brake pads I want to try. Think I will call up my favorite service advisor and see if she will give me the brand and model brake pad that others have used to correct this. I also think I will call Acura and see if I can dig anything out of them.

Some years back there was a stalling problem with the first generation Honda Fit's. People threw all sorts of money at them in parts chasing some suspected ghost electrical problem. I called Honda about it and they swore the problem didn't exist, even through there were MANY reports on it on-line where people were trying to resolve it. Some even traded off their Fit's as they couldn't get them fixed. I did a lot of research and found a similar problem had popped up with other models. I took a chance and checked the valve lash. (Honda said it wasn't needed for "100,000 miles unless they made noise".). Turned out the problem was in the valve lash. A factory worker had fouled up and got the specs reversed and was setting the intake valves "loose" and the exhaust valves "Tight". As the engine warmed up from a cold start the expansion of the head and valves was such that there was a window where the exhaust valves were not completely closing and the car could stall. It was a real problem for our car as we had a very busy intersection just up the street the exact distance it caused the problem to occur. The car would stall when you were trying to make a quick pull out to avoid on coming traffic. Very dangerous! I called Honda and informed them of what I had found and they could have cared less and ignored it. I had suggested a normal service bulletin or service advisory going out to the dealer shops would save a lot of people a lot of trouble but they didn't seem to care. What the heck would I know anyway!
I posted the fix on a Fit forum years back and got a LOT of "thank you" emails for some years to come as others found the exact same issue on their cars.

I remembered that as that same near by intersection happens to be where I get my brake noise when I leave the house! Also I know someone out there has likely told someone at Acura what they did to fix the noise but that information is not being shared with dealers or customers.
I have a couple of ideas of things to try to resolve this brake noise and will be experimenting with it in the coming weeks, just for fun. (Actually out of boredom as the pandemic has kept me cooped up at home too much!). If I can learn anything I will share it, but no promises. I have some concerns that the root cause of this is an interaction between a surface treatment Acura did to the rotors which resulted in a condition that does not react well with brake pad material they are using. The "fix" may require a complete replacement of the pads and rotors with quality after market parts. I am not rushing out to spend that much money just yet.

JB in AZ

Then hans471 wrote: "You have described the sound correctly. Its not an "old fashion"brake squeal rather its a near grinding sound and it seems to happen under certain brake loading conditions...."

Like some of the other "ills" members/owners here have experienced, why are some vehicles not affected? When I listened real hard one evening, with my windows open, I heard what might be described as a squeal, when backing out of a parking spot, one time in 24,000+ miles. I had the A1 service scheduled, so I casually mentioned to the service advisor that I had heard the brakes squealing. I figured if he was any good, he would know about the TSBs and I would basically get a free brake job. If not, not biggy. They replaced the front rotors and pads all around.

If it is an "interaction between a surface treatment Acura did to the rotors which resulted in a condition that does not react well with brake pad material they are using." as hans471 surmises, then why doesn't every RDX produce this squeal? I am not saying hans471 is wrong, just commenting on why some of our RDXs exhibit some issues and others do not. A brake squeal might be dismissed by some drivers or maybe those with reduced hearing will not hear it, but things like the "Loss of Network Comms Blue Screen Error" cannot be dismissed.

hans471

"If it is an "interaction between a surface treatment Acura did to the rotors which resulted in a condition that does not react well with brake pad material they are using." as hans471 surmises, then why doesn't every RDX produce this squeal? I am not saying hans471 is wrong, just commenting on why some of our RDXs exhibit some issues and others do not. A brake squeal might be dismissed by some drivers or maybe those with reduced hearing will not hear it, but things like the "Loss of Network Comms Blue Screen Error" cannot be dismissed."

If one closely examines the production process of any machine they would likely have become aware that there are "variations". This is a problem we had to deal with in any production process or industry. For example, if you research how those brake rotors are actually produced they are heat treated in a highly precise environment (in a big oven with certain gases) to obtain the surface finish to make them function properly while still not rusting. If any factor is off such as the timing, the exact temperature, the gas mixture, etc. then the finish product will have variations. If you look up this process you can see pictures of how this is done. The rotors are made in "batches" so one batch can vary from another depending on what day they were made, a slight variation in the steel they were made from, which oven they were heat treated in or any of long list of conditions that can impact the final product. The same is true for the brake pads. The friction material is mixed, sort of like making a cake, with various ingredients. If the mix is off by just a little or if the raw materials themselves varied when they were produced then you can get variations in the finish product. The same applies to every part in the system, the mounts can vary slightly due to production tolerances, the backing material, the fit of the pad in the mount and so forth.

Finally there is the human factor of the operator. I can not count how many times I have been on test drives in vehicles where the owner complained of an imaginary problem they had decided existed in their vehicle OR I saw a clear problem (like a noise or vibration) that the customer was totally unaware of as it did not concern him. It goes both ways.

I am not condoning Acura as clearly they have a problem with some of these cars. As to the question of why a "fix" has eluded them, I have no answer. I am aware of the kinds of things all car makers deal with and of the normal processes they use to isolate a problem and then resolve it as that was part of my duties during my working career. I know it can sometimes be difficult to pin a problem down to the precise cause. That does not mean I am making excuses for them, just that I know it can be difficult when there are so many variables. Still, brakes are brakes and millions of Honda's don't have brake noises. Someone at Acura needs to work harder on resolving this issue. Sometimes I suspect that someone actually knows the root cause but the fix is expensive but someone in the upper chain of command is trying to fix it without spending too much money. Of course these repeated repair attempts are costing them a lot also. Its possible somewhere at Acura someone is on the hot seat trying to worm out of this.

Have a nice day!

DriverOne

Part of it has to do with what constitutes "brake squeal." Everyone on this non-representative forum talks about it and we're possibly not even referring to the same thing and then we all assume that "most" or "a large percentage" of Acura owners are experiencing it. For example, when I talk about brake squeal, it's a high-pitched noise that sounds like worn-out brakes and it only ever happens on a cold morning. It occurs for the first three or four stops, then it ends. From my understanding, that's actually not unusual with modern brakes and is not isolated to Acura. Is it annoying? Sure. Sometimes embarrassing? Possibly. Is it enough for me to bring it to a dealer? No. Also, I'm pretty sure it can't be fixed, as it happens to other manufacturers, too. I would guess that most people with brake squeal have this type of brake squeal and most people also aren't taking it to their dealers for that. So, no, nobody at Acura is being canned for it.

leomio85

I got this exact same brake noise the other day after the vehicle was out in some rain. Sat in the garage overnight and heard it. A few times getting the brakes to bite down and wipe the rotor faces, and the noise was completely gone. It's likely to do with the pad and/or rotor material. I've said it before, a little bit of noise from time to time is a fair trade off to me for how little these things dust. I love how little effort it takes to clean the wheels.

DriverOne

I didn't hear anything on that video. Is that supposed to be brake squeal? Am I deaf?

Edit: OK, I listened a few more times and there's a sound at 0:02 maybe? That's not my brake squeal. Mine is a high-pitched squeaking. I guess it sounds like metal grinding against metal, but that's probably over-exaggerating.

leomio85

Yea, it's almost like a brake "flutter" ... hard to tell seeing as the person in the video also has their blinker on. I'll sometimes get some traditional brake squeal first time backing out of the garage as well ... again, after getting the brakes warmed up with a few braking occurrences, it all goes away. Maybe try braking slightly later and with more pedal pressure to see if that helps? Slightly ... don't go slamming on the brakes, lol.

Jay--p

I've got a 2021 rdx a-spec.... 2000km ...... brake squeal like crazy , 10 time worst in winter ....


so annoying to have break squeal on a 68 000$ car damn