Shuddering sensation when you apply the brakes.

J H MILLER

MEMBER
2006 HONDA ACCORD
6 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
69,000 MILES

My Honda Odyssey has developed a shuddering sensation when you apply the brakes. It seems to be worse sometime than others. I get no indications on the dash of any braking system failure. The mechanic at my dealers said the rotors are warped but couldn't explain why it is not consistent. Could it be a component in the braking system that is malfunctioning?

1 Reply

CUP1981

MEMBER
133 POSTS

Sounds more like hot-spotting to me and friction material transfer from the pads. Warped rotors are highly rare in passenger cars, as it take extreme heat to cause this. This would also explain why its worse at times.

What happens is that your rotors get extremely hot in one area, then the friction material from the pads sticks to the hot-spot, leaving a small amount behind, causing high rotor run-out.

It varies, as sometimes the material will shear off of the rotor and the shuddering feels less. It turns into an endless cycle after a while.

There is no rhyme or reason to why it happens, but substandard brake pads are typically the culprit. I always recommend high-grade semi-metallics or ceramic pads to help combat this.