I have a 2003 Honda Civic DX. Whenever I release my brake I hear a knocking noise. What is this?

Question

This sound comes to our ears when I am stopped somewhere between a slope, and When I release my brakes to keep going I hear this clicking/knocking noise? What should i do? Is this a major problem or minor? Is it dangerous?

Answer 1

The noise is common to most Hondas and has to do with the shift of the brake pads in the calipers because of the clearance between the brake pads and the caliper body. Typically this noise is heard when you reverse directions, such as backing out of a driveway and then starting to move forward but a slope will cause the same type of noise to occur.

on some models, such as the CR-V, Element and Odyssey, Honda came out with a spacer or shim to reduce the noise a bit on those vehicles but they have not come out with anything on the other models. Given that your Civic is a previous generation it would be highly unlikely that they would ever come out with a 'fix' for what is a 'normal' noise.

I would recommend you have the brakes checked during the next regular service as the noise can be exacerbated by brake pads that are worn and your's may be to a point where they will require replacement in the near future. As always, if you think it might be dangerous, have a technician check it out for safety's sake. If they don't find any unusual wear then the noise would be attributed to the normal condition for that car.

hope that answers your question

Answer 2

if the noise came from your front brakes, you have to verify the calipers, the calipers has in most cars two small cylinders where the calipers move on, you have to clean and lubricate, and see if your pads are in good condition as your brake discs too

is not a major problem now, the worst case scenario if you dont fix it, the brakes can stop sudenly and you can crash !

take your car to a shop and change pads, discs and give calipers service, you dont have to change your calipers, theres a repair kit for calipers that have those cylinders or something related to

your mechanic must know how to repair the calipers is an easy job to do

Answer 3

Could be an indication your rear brakes are out of adjustment.