One of the best new devices is the electric parking brake. You don’t have to worry about putting on the hand brake after turning off the engine, and it’s also very easy to start up a hill. It’s too bad that electric hand brakes are a lot harder to use than regular ones. And almost every car has some problems that happen to a lot of them, including the Honda Civic. In this article, we will take a look at the 5 Causes of Electric Parking Brake Problems in Honda Civic.
The button for the parking brake is usually what’s wrong with a Honda Civic electric parking brake (EPB). Either the button doesn’t work at all or it gets dirty enough to stop working. Not only will an old battery mess up EPB, but it will also mess up EPB motors. In rare cases, a blown fuse or broken wire could also be to blame.
5 Major Causes of Electric Parking Brake Problems in Honda Civic
The top 5 major causes of electric parking brake problems in Honda Civic are given below,
1. A Broken Button for the Parking Brake
It is among the major causes of Electric Parking Brake Problems in Honda Civic. The button is the part of the electric parking brake that almost never gives you trouble. The Honda Civic, on the other hand, has a lot of them. Honda has never put out a technical service notice for that specific reason, so it’s hard to say why the button doesn’t work. But it’s safe to say that it’s a mix of original flaws and bad button placement.
The button is in a spot where it’s easy to get food and drinks on it, and pressing it with wet hands could make it not work. Also, if your parking brake stops working, the button is one of the first things that the dealership will fix under the warranty. But sometimes changing the button isn’t the only thing that works.
It worked for a lot of people who cleaned the button after their car was no longer under protection. But you need to get really deep, so use a small, thin brush that can get into every crack. Take off the button if you can to make it look even better. Check to see if the hand brake works after cleaning the button. You can get a new one before putting the center panel back together if it doesn’t work.
Cost to Get New
It ranges in price from $20 to $30 for a brand-new Civic parking brake button. That’s for a new part, though. It’s likely that an OEM button will cost at least $50, but I wasn’t able to find its price. Because OEM buttons are better, you should call your local store to find out how much they cost and how long you have to wait to get them.
If the price is right, you should definitely get the OEM button. It’s also hard to guess how much labor will cost, but replacing it takes less than 30 minutes. Based on the average rate across the country, that’s about $50. With a new button, the total cost is now less than $100. You can also easily change the button yourself, which will save you some money. Here’s how.
How to Change It
1. Take Off the Two Black Trims That are on Either Side of the Center Console
These are the gear and parking brake button on the left and right sides of the plastic trim. There are two black pieces of trim on each side. You can get to the center panel more easily because those two pieces pop out to the side. Put something over the flat screwdriver so you don’t scratch the trim when you take them off. Once the black trim is loose, move up to take it off all the way.
2. Pull the Center Console Trim Out
The center console trim that holds the parking brake button and goes around the shifter needs to be taken out now. This trim piece also just pops out and isn’t held in place by any bolts. You can also just use your hands to pull it out, but be extra careful not to break anything. The plastic edge can be easily broken, so move slowly around it and put most of your pressure on each tab. There is one on each side.
3. Take the Buttons Off
You can get to the electrical connectors under the middle console once it is loose. There is the brake hold connector, the parking brake connector, the ECO mode, and maybe some other ones too, based on what the car has. To take off the trim, you need to disconnect all the wires. To remove the connections, you need to push in small tabs. Once the console is out, be careful not to mix them up.
4. Take the Button for the Parking Brake Off
It’s not hard to take off the parking brake button from the center panel trim. On the side that faces the back of the car, there are two plastic tabs. When you push those both in, the button comes right out. To put in a new one, you have to push the old one back into place and put everything back together in the wrong order.
2. The Electric Parking Brake Motor is Broken
When cars were older, they had parking brake motors that pulled on regular parking brake lines. But that’s not true anymore. Modern electric parking brake motors, like the ones in Honda Civics, are built into the back brake drums and use gears to directly control the back brake pads. These motors almost never break down, especially in cars that are less than ten years old.
On the other hand, if pressing the parking brake button doesn’t fix the issue, this is what you should check next. Electric parking brakes have their own trouble codes, which is a good place to start when trying to figure out what’s wrong. For your type, you can also find wiring diagrams and skip the motor to see if it moves at all. A skilled diagnosis, on the other hand, is a much safer choice.
The cost to replace the electric parking brake motors in a Honda Civic is not very low. It costs around $250 to $300 for a new motor, even on eBay. It will cost at least 30% more to buy one from a dealer. Not yet, AutoZone and other big auto parts store chains don’t sell Civics with EPB systems. This is because they are still pretty new.
How much the work costs will depend on where you live and range from $100 to $200. It takes about one and a half hours to change them. If you want to change the motors yourself, you will need a car jack, jack stands, and a full socket wrench set with hex keys.
How to Change It
1. Take Off The Wheel
You have to take off the wheel before you can reach the rear brake caliper. The car needs to be raised and held in place with a jack stand. Since you can’t use the hand brake, park the car on a flat surface and secure the front wheels with chocks. This will keep the car from rolling while you remove the wheels and brake caliper.
2. Take Off The Brake Caliper
Two hex key bolts hold the brake caliper to the brake caliper frame. Take off the plastic cover that’s over the bolts first. These are seven-millimeter hex keys that are used for caliper nuts. You will need a socket wrench hex extension to loosen them up.
Also, make sure the hex key goes all the way inside the bolt. It’s very easy to remove them. To unhook the electric parking brake motor, first take out the bolts. Then, pull the caliper off the brake rotor.
3. Take The Motor Out
The motor needs to be taken off once the caliper is out. Two five-millimeter hex key bolts hold the motor to the caliper. In this case too, you should use an extension for your socket wrench. The motor just pulls out of the caliper after the two bolts are taken off. You then put in a new one and restart the EPB system, which we will talk about next.
3. An Old Battery
An old battery is one of the main reasons why electric parking brakes don’t work in most cars. Electric parking brake motors need a lot of electricity, and they need it every time the car is turned off. Another thing that starts to break down quickly when the battery is old or dead is the parking brake. From 2016 to 2021, the tenth generation of the Civic will use either a standard lead-acid battery or an AGM battery, based on the engine.
In general, a normal battery lasts three to four years, while an AGM battery lasts five to six years. If you haven’t changed the battery since you got the car, it’s probably time for a new one, no matter what kind it is. But before you buy a new one, any AutoZone or NAPA shop will test the old one for free. You can also use a voltmeter to check the battery yourself.
4. Broken Wiring
Another very rare reason could be that the wires for the electric parking brake motor is damaged. Water, salt, mud, and other outside contaminants can get into the wires. However, it’s waterproof, which means it doesn’t get broken down quickly, especially in newer cars. But once more, if none of those things seem to be the problem, you should check the wires.
There’s always a chance that the upkeep broke the wiring or that water got in while it was away from the wall. The wires and connectors could also have been faulty when they were made. You’ll also need a car jack and a jack stand to take the wheel off so you can check the wires.
How to Check Out and Fix
Make sure the electric motors are not plugged in after you lift the car and take off the wheel. Then, check the connector’s inside to see if there are any signs of water or rust. If you do find any, clean them up with contact cleaner spray and a brush. Before putting the coupler back together, let it dry for ten to fifteen minutes.
If the connector looks good, though, check the wires next. As long as you can see the wire, look for any signs of broken sire insulation. It’s better to repair the wiring than to fix it if you find any damage. Honda’s part number 47560-TBA-A02 for a brand-new left EPB wiring connection costs about $40. Part number 47510-TGH-A03 says that the right-hand harness costs about $100 because it is longer and tougher to make.
5. Fuse Blown
Honda Civics’ electric parking brake doesn’t have a switch that goes with it. But that doesn’t mean the fuse isn’t there and can’t be the problem. We already said that the parking brake uses a lot of electricity and is one of the most loaded parts of the car when the engine is off. Its fuse is most likely to blow first if there are problems with the battery or the device that charges it. It is also among the popular causes of Electric Parking Brake Problems in Honda Civic.
There isn’t a lot of information out there that makes it easy to tell which part of the Honda Civic’s switch affects the parking brake. It’s likely to be either the VSA/ABS fuse or the EPS fuse, though.
There are also multi-fuse boxes in Civics that you should check. But the best thing to do is to check each switch on its own, not just the obvious ones like the ones for the lights, windows, power outlets, and so on. These interactive fuse box images can help you learn more about each fuse and what it does.
How to Put the Parking Brake Back on a Civic
To turn off the warning light on the Civic electronic parking brake, you will need to reset it. This may also fix the problem if the car’s battery or charging system is having trouble. It’s also a good idea to do it if you change the EPB motor, since it might need to be refurbished.
In order:
- Start the engine but don’t turn the key in the ignition.
- For now, put the transmission in Park.
- Step on the brakes and hold them down.
- Press down on the hand brake and then let go of it.
- Press and hold the hand brake button until you hear a beep.
- Hold down the hand brake button again until you hear two beeps.
- After turning off the engine, the process is done.
Conclusion
One thing is always wrong with Honda Civic parking brakes, and that’s the button for the brakes. So, the button should be your biggest concern. Since they are cheap, you should replace it first.
Every other reason is the same for all cars, but the most common one is a battery that is dead or dying. Another thing you can do is check the fuses. After that, it’s best to take the car to a professional who can look at the electric motors and wires. Hopefully, you have learned about all the 5 Causes of Electric Parking Brake Problems in Honda Civic and if you still have any questions you can comment below.
