IRONRINGED

Hey All, my driver side caliper seized a few weeks ago. I think this is a rare occurrence, as per my scientific google search. It seems only a couple cars have had this issue. Just wondering if anyone has experienced this issue, in their forth gen. I have a 2010 TL 6speed A-spec (Canadian model).

The caliper was replaced under my extended warranty. What would be the cost for doing something like that. My bill said 0.00. It would be nice to have known the cost, I guess the grass is slightly greener on the other side, in my case.

Thanks.

IRONRINGED

I forgot to mention the car had about 60,000kms or about 37,2450 miles on it, during the failure.

brook41

Caliper alone was 221 list usd . Was it Acura extended warranty?

csmeance

calipers fail because owners forget to change the fluid. The brake fluid absorbs water and needs to be replaced every 2-3 years, in canada I'd do it after every winter as it's dirt cheap and easy to do.

The brake system rusts, mold grows and plugs the lines. Take the cap off the brake fluid container and if you see mold in there it's got to be replaced asap.

IRONRINGED

Yup, Acura's extended warranty. Never thought I'd use it, but never say never!

The dealership let me know that the fluid was probably changed, since it was in relatively good condition. They didn't choose to replace the fluids, after replacing the caliper. I suppose it was just a defective caliper.

Is there any way a person could tamper with a caliper?

Thanks for your replies and advice.

KarKraze

It's not easy to tamper with a caliper unless someone is actually working on your brakes.
Do you know if the piston seized inside the caliper? or were the slides corroded? Brake fluid is hygroscopic,over our harsh winter this can happen easily, lack of proper maintenance would contribute to the slide being corroded causing the brakes to be sticky.

Spontec

I had a front drivers side caliper seize on my car a couple months back. The car had about 28,000 miles on it at the time.

IRONRINGED

The only brake work done on the car was for a safety, as I had recently purchased the car. After I had purchased it, I did drive it 1600kms in about 3 days. Was not driving hard; just on a road trip with my parents. I bought the car with 55,000kms on it.

I didn't ask the tech exactly what had happened to the caliper, and I probably should have.

It wasn't too noticeable, while driving, but after I got out of the car, I could smell something burning, there was smoke coming from the front wheel, and the wheel was extremely warm. None of the other three wheels were like that. I also noticed a slight drop in fuel economy, and pick up at highway speeds.

In the end, only half a millimeter more of the driver side brake pad was worn out, compared to the passenger side. I didn't have to replace the rotors or the pads.

Spontec, thanks for letting me know I wasn't alone with this issue. I had just purchased the car, and one of the main reasons was for Honda reliability. The car has been flawless, otherwise.

Tonyware

A few thoughts...

If I were you, I would look at the other calipers too and lubricate the sliding pins and the visible rubber on the piston you see. Don't use just any lubricant but the ones that are marked for calipers. It is the rear ones that tend to get stuck, often due to poor maintenance (i.e. no regular service, lubrication of the pins etc).

By the way, in Canada (or in any other parts of the globe with crazy winter conditions) the components at the rear of the car gets all the beating, not the front. Just to be safe, as it appears your car hasn't been properly maintained by the previous owner (or the dealership we was going for maintenance was out-to-lunch), check the rear suspension parts, all of them!

ulrblitzer

^^this.

I check my calipers and slide pins every spring when pulling off the snow tires and putting on my summer set. Put some silicone paste on the slide pins, re-grease shims and brake pad touch points, and check brake fluid. It only adds 10-15 more minutes vs. time figuring out something seized up.

IRONRINGED

I'll make a note to inspect and grease the calipers when I put the winters on my car. Is there a DIY to do this?

Thanks!

Tonyware

Some good videos on youtube about servicing brakes. Search and thy shall find. Also, some good literature at your local auto shop, I am sure.

DIY description is kinda hard and somewhat boring to do on brakes, plus fingers greasy, can't type.