Honda is recalling 79,000 Civics due to problems with the handbrake. The manufacturer launched an investigation into the problem after it had received numerous complaints about cars rolling away.Engineers found that when the handbrake was applied while pressing the release button, there was a risk of it not latching sufficiently to hold the vehicle on an incline.A Honda spokesperson said, “Honda UK has sent letters to customers advising them to book their car into a dealership to have the new handbrake fitted free of charge”.The problem affects cars manufactured between July 2006 and October 2007.The carmaker has also advised those affected by the problem to apply the handbrake as per the owner’s manual instructions. Honda stated, “If these directions are followed, the handbrake’s efficiency won’t be affected”.Civic owners can call the special helpline on 0800 707 6668 for further details.
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Re: Faulty handbrake causes Civic recall
I have one of these Civics and I have the recall notice.
We've been instructed with very basic pictures how to apply the handbrake without pressing the button until the fix can be made.
I was instructed to (probably like many other people) and have been pressing the button whilst applying the handbrake for years now. I thought that this was to reduce wear on the ratchet and also because the ratchet can be noisy.
I know other manufacturers have also suffered with similar handbrake problems recently, its not just Honda, but why are these basic designs causing issues lately? They've been designing and manufacturing handbrakes for years. Is it the need to reduce cost?