We started hearing a squealing noise in the rear right wheel while backing up. We would also hear a chain-like rattling while driving. We came here and to the NTS site and realized it was probably premature brake wear. Seems the VSA (vehicle stability assist) feature causes the brakes to come on EVERY time the car goes into any turn or any curve. This of course causes the brake pads to wear. We took it to see if this problem was covered under warranty. It is not. So, we can all look forward to a LOT of repair bills for rear brakes. We were told we were lucky. Some problems occur much sooner. An option is to turn off the VSA, but it comes on automatically every time you start the engine. The VSA is a good thing to have in rain and snow, but should be turned off if you get stuck in mud or snow. Anyhow, it is a customer decision to do this, but the automaker does not recommend doing so.

Went to dealer for a B1 maintenance, was told rear breaks need replacement. I was shocked, only had car for 8 months and 16k miles. Quoted me $290 to do the repair. I refused and brought it to a brake specialist who did the job for $200 with honda parts. I am very disappointed with Honda for putting low quality brake pads. I paid around $28k for my car and I expect top quality parts. Honda should start looking into this, as this is just not right. I have driven 10 different cars in my lifetime and this never happened to me before, especially for a brand new car. Typical break replacement for me is around 3 years average. I called and wrote Honda, someone called me 3 days after and told me that they will not give me any goodwill as breaks are wear and tear parts. I was told it is what it is and breaks are like oil. Wow! This is really ridiculous, Honda should be investigated for this, ripping off consumers for buying honda brake parts!

Like other people's posts here, I have had to replace my rear brake pads at 28,000 miles. Ridiculous!! To add insult to injury, I had my tires rotated the day before the squeaking started! The mechanic had the damn tires off the car, knows there is a brake issue with this model, and couldn't identify it then? I have to come back a second time??

I've been a loyal Honda customer (same dealer for over 10 years) and have NEVER had to replace brakes this early. I complained and questioned the service person helping me, who of course tried to insinuate it was my driving, to which I replied, " that's complete bull#$%^!!". Now that I've read all these posts and discovered it really is a KNOWN Honda issue, I'm even more annoyed with his suggestion. Why not just admit you know there is a problem instead of trying to make a LOYAL customer feel like they don't know how to use their brakes? Excuse me, do you think I'm an idiot???

Thank you to whoever posted American Honda's customer service number 800-999-1009. I called them and they were very understanding and said that Honda was working on a fix to this problem (THANK you for acknowledging that!!) and we should check with owners link on Honda.com to get updates as they become available. I will be calling the General Manager of the dealership to complain and try to get reimbursed for my expenses, but doubt it will happen.

Good luck everyone. KEEP COMPLAINING!!!

It is unbelievable that a vehicle would need new rear brake pads at 37,000 miles! This can not be 'normal' and should be considered a flaw. Honda should be ashamed of themselves! I am VERY disappointed with this additional inconvenience and cost. I wanted a low maintenance, semi-luxury sedan because of continual commuting. I thought I had done my homework and research, and purchased a Honda because of reviews & experience, (2 previous Honda's). Well, I am sadly mistaken.... Shame on you, Honda! I don't know that I'll keep this one, nor buy another... :(

My rear brake pads have been replaced three time while the original brakes for the front are still in good condition. I'm tired of having service technicians tell me this is my fault because it has to be the way I'm driving the car. It would be nice if they would fix the problem and stop blaming this on me. It is horrible when you know their is a defect and nothing is done to help you. That is whats wrong with big business today. They want you to buy their product but won't stand behind them unless someone dies or their is a class action suit.

I am SOOO upset! I am 23 years old and I was so proud of myself for buying my frist car brand new. Until 7 months later and around 900 miles my 2008 Honda Accord's brakes started squealing every time I came to a red light! It's embarrassing to have such an annoying noise come from my new car. I work six days a week so I was reluctant to spend my day off at a repair shop but I finally couldn't take it any more and made it in to the service center at the dealership where I bought the car. The mechanic who checked over my car brought the rear brake pads to me and and the service writer (Brad) to show us the amount of wear. They explained to me that the squeal was from those pads getting low and the piece of medal that occasionally comes in contact with the rotors. " Okay, now what??" We all shared an awkward pause... until Brad says "well you will have to replace your brake pads soon. I think that's ridiculous to just put new Honda brake pads on there that will wear out in another year!! That's why I bought a brand new car, so I wouldn't have to deal with any maintenance for a while! I left a message with Honda's customer service hot line and will report this to the safety hot line. In the meantime I am out of luck because Honda doesn't seem to care about their products or reputation.

This issue with the rear breaks is a pain in the ass from hell. At changing my oil at 7,000 miles I had to get my rotors replaced due to wear and tear in the breaks. Now at 14,800 miles I am getting the same vibration and rattling on my car again. After shrugging it off and letting my mother drive the car she is now feeling the same rattling and vibration in the car as well. Now I'm having to go to the dealer again and see about getting this issue resolved again. Something needs to be done and done fast or my business with Honda and over and done with. I owned a 2006 Honda Civic LX and never had this issue.

I bought a brand new Honda Accord in December of 2007. By late January of 2009 (barely over a year), I began hearing this awful metallic grinding noise. I couldn't figure out what it was since it did it while I was driving, as well as braking. I finally took it to a Honda Dealership where they told me the rear brake pads had worn down and needed to be replaced. First off, I lived in the mountains for four years with my old car and only had to replace the brakes once and it was over 10 years old. Second, when I called other auto mechanics for an estimate on getting rear brake pads replaced, they asked how many miles I had on my car. When I told them a little under 25K they all said 'no way is it your brakes, that is way too soon for them to need to be replaced'. Doubting the first dealership, I then took it to another Honda Dealership where they again told me the same thing. When I questioned why the brakes went bad so quickly, they said that the 2008 models were the first model Honda put these new brakes on (lucky me) and that they were half the size of the old brake style. I told them that was the most nonsensical thing and that when improving products, you should make them MORE efficient, not LESS. They also told me I would be better off getting them replaced at the dealership since smaller merchants have a hard time getting ahold of this new brake style (disc brakes). I called Honda Customer Service to voice my complaint about already having to pay for maintenance on a year old car, considering the reason I bought a Honda was for their reputation of low maintenance. They told me they had not heard this complaint but would let me know if any changes were to be made. Needless to say, I am not thrilled about having to already have new brake pads put on my car, especially now knowing that it will probably only be a year or so before I need to do it again--and that doesn't even include my front brakes! And FYI-the Honda servicemen told me that these new brakes only have an average life span of 15-30K. Compare that to your older brakes, we are getting jipped!

At 5,500 miles, my brakes were squeaking. I took it to the dealer and discovered that both the rear and front brakes were worn down. Apparently, I have been braking too hard (WTF? 5,500 miles...sounds like a design issue to me). They replaced the brakes, front and rear and machined the rotors as a one time good will (wow, they are sure generous). At 6,000 miles, I hear squeaking again, only 500 miles after replacement. I take it in, guess what, the rotors show wear (I am still braking too hard apparently even though I drive 2 young children around, come on!) Guess what, they replaced the rotors as another good will. They still deny frequent problems with the 2008 brakes.

I told the associate to "Google" it and see all the unhappy consumers. I called American Honda and filed a vehicle complaint and you should too if you are experiencing auto issues. It is the only way we can fight. It took less than 5 minutes and no hold time, 1-800-999-1009

My car too needed the rear brakes replaced at 27000 miles. I am a every day normal driver. I don't drive the Indy 500 in my car and then slam on my brakes. My car had its normal service done at 26000 miles. At this time the dealership informed me that I would need to replace my rear brakes very soon. I know nothing about cars and told my husband about it. He did some research online and found this website. I printed all 87 complaints and he took the car and print out back to the dealership. They inspected the brakes again and contacted Honda US. Honda said that they have been hearing about this a lot and decided to help us pay the cost of the brake replacement. They are paying for half of it and charging us $90. I highly recommend calling the Honda US at 1-800-999-1009. You will need to tell them your VIN and they will make a note of your complaint. If we get enough of them they will have to issue a recall. When I talked to Honda they told me that was the first time they had heard of this complaint.

After just 17,000 miles my 2008 Accord needed new rear brakes. The dealer was happy to charge me $150.00 for the repairs. I called Honda directly and was told the problem was that they now use the rear brakes (greater force on the rear pads than in the past) more than normal because the car would nose dive to excess when stopping quickly. They force more work on the rear brakes rather than increasing the size of the brakes(which they should have done). Honda America refunded me $100. I wonder if they will do the same after the next 17,000 miles