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Spongy Brakes?

7.4K views 74 replies 51 participants last post by  cwahls  
#1 ·
Right from day one, the brakes on my 2025 BE have not given me a whole lot of confidence. Initially I thought it might get better with time but that has not been the case. I now have about 7500 km (4700 miles) on the RL and the brakes still feel/operate the same.

When first depressing the brake pedal, the feeling is spongy/soft and it seems that the pedal travel/movement is more than I'm used to. If I release & pump the pedal once, it brings the pedal back up to what I would say is normal and the braking action is much better. I find myself "pumping" the brakes on a regular basis...not looking forward to an emergency braking situation.

Even my wife remarked about how "off" the brakes felt to her, and how much more effort was required the first time she drove the RL, compared to her car (she drives a 2025 VW Jetta). The braking action in her car is way, way better. I have to try & remember this every time I drive the Jetta...otherwise I'll "eat" the steering wheel if I apply the same foot pressure on the brake pedal as I do in my RL.

I will definitely be addressing this with the dealer shortly but was just curious if others had experienced this? Did a quick search but nothing jumped out at me.
 
#2 ·
If you can pump the brakes and have the pedal come up higher then you have a problem. I have a lot of pedal travel with slight spongyness but my pedal doesn't change the level it stops at. I have no problems stopping and feel confident in a panic stop the brakes will do their thing.
 
#3 ·
Too funny - when I have been driving my 2022 Ridgeline for long periods, and I then drive my wife's VW Golf, I usually end up screeching to a halt much faster than I intended. I'm glad I am not the only one. My Ridgeline brakes seem adequate, but don't fill me with confidence. Others on this forum have switched to PowerStop rotors and pads, but I do not have any experience to offer on that product.
 
#35 ·
Try to stop the vehicle as if it was an emergency...see if it stops or and takes a longer time to stop. Look at a vehicle, pole something thats stationary and pick 5 vehicle after that. Now get to a speed of 40 to 50 mph,then do a panic stop when you meet the pole etc. You should stop within the forth vehicle
 
#5 ·
I think most reviews out there complain about the Ridgeline's brakes for 2nd gens. It's not a new thing. The best thing you can do is grab a set of PowerStop Z23 or Z36 pads and replace the oem pads. I wouldn't worry about rotors if yours aren't warped. Front and rear pads are about 80 + tax and shipping from Rock Auto, so it's not much. As other have mentioned, do a fluid flush and it'll get better. Probably not night and day, but at least better. I haven't looked to see if there are any stainless brake line kits for these cars yet but if there are, those could help too.

If it matters, I've swapped oem pads for both types on PowerStop pads on my 2 previous 2nd gens (2018 and 2020) and I'll be ordering a set for my 25 shortly. Hope this helps.
 
#57 ·
I think most reviews out there complain about the Ridgeline's brakes for 2nd gens. It's not a new thing. The best thing you can do is grab a set of PowerStop Z23 or Z36 pads and replace the oem pads. I wouldn't worry about rotors if yours aren't warped. Front and rear pads are about 80 + tax and shipping from Rock Auto, so it's not much. As other have mentioned, do a fluid flush and it'll get better. Probably not night and day, but at least better. I haven't looked to see if there are any stainless brake line kits for these cars yet but if there are, those could help too.

If it matters, I've swapped oem pads for both types on PowerStop pads on my 2 previous 2nd gens (2018 and 2020) and I'll be ordering a set for my 25 shortly. Hope this helps.
Totally agree, but the drilled/slotted rotors really help shedding heat on long down hills. (Yess, I know how to brake on descents.)
 
#7 ·
My Ridgeline brakes are fine.

But I had a 2020 M-B cargo van that in less than 2 years after I bought it new developed soft brake pedal action. In fact when stopped and with my using the brakes to hold the vehicle stationary the pedal would slowly sink.

A quick couple pumps had the pedal back up to the normal height but the pedal starting sinking again. And I wasn't standing on it either.

Brakes felt good in that stopping action was as best I could tell unchanged.

But I knew the sinking pedal was not normal so I had the van in for a brake fluid flush/bleed.

After the pedal felt firm when pressed and didn't sink when I used the brakes to hold the vehicle stationary at a stop light.
 
#8 ·
To be honest it seems to be a Honda/Acura thing, my 2010 RDX had the same issue. The 2013 Honda Accord had the very touchy brakes, still a long pedal travel. After I put stainless steel brake lines on my RDX and bled the brakes with speed bleeders the pedal travel was better. The RDX had dual piston front calipers. Still not the same as my wife's Lexus NX350, those brakes are very touchy. I have never felt unsafe in the Ridgeline, it will stop in a hurry but you feel like the pedal will go through the floor. I am going to get stainless steel brake lines and speed bleeders just to see how it helps.
 
#9 ·
I don’t have any solution here, but I will confirm that my Volkswagen GTI has a different brake feel than our Ridgeline and our F-150 before it. And I assume some of what you’ve got going on is just the difference between a heavy truck and a light car. But, if it feels off, take into the dealership. You’re in the warranty period. Even if you weren’t, safety first, right.
 
#10 ·
I'm sure some of it is that every vehicle feels a bit different. Prior to the RL, I had a couple of F-150's. The brakes in my 2019 behaved very similar to the RL in that they had a spongy feel that needed to be pumped. I tried a couple of times to get the dealer to address it but they said it was "normal". Well, I traded that 2019 on a 2022 (exact same truck) and the brakes on the 2022 were night & day better and operated normally.

As an aside...my wife is now on her 5th or 6th VW (various models...EOS, GTI, Jetta) and every one of them has had excellent, consistent brakes & feel.
 
#12 ·
I have a 2017 Honda Ridgeline Black Edition. The breaks have always been spongey, but the vehicle stops well. I've had two different Honda Dealers check the brakes and pedal travel and both reported back that everything is in spec. Rental vehicles I have driven have a much more sensitive braking system with a firm brake pedal feel with much less brake pedal travel. I wish Honda would adjust their braking for better driver experience and confidence.
 
#13 ·
A big reason why I traded in my 17 RTS was for the spongy pedal and the engine knock. IMO, too much precious time is wasted with long pedal travel waiting for the friction point. When I got the 23, it was night and day, no more pumping the brakes up, don't even think about it any more. Now I'm hearing about it on newer ones. Why so much variance, Honda? Not all owners are crazy.
 
#15 ·
You should definitely not need to pump the brakes to get a 'firm pedal' in a new and/or well maintained vehicle or brake system. My '20 RTL-E with 65k miles still has a perfectly normal, firm brake pedal and always has. I have done a brake bleed all 4 corners twice now to refresh the fluid at the calipers as I tow a lot and they take a beating.

I will say- I upgraded to Hawk performance drilled/slotted front brake rotors and corresponding Hawk brake pads at about 30k miles. YYMV may vary - I am not a huge fan. Yes from a 'performance' standpoint when you get on them, you really stop. For daily driving, I find them to feel 'rough' , they just are not smooth like the OEM ones were (I warped my OE fronts on a mountain descent with a 4k lb trailer with the trailer brakes 'off'- entirely my fault not a deficiency in the Honda design). So I guess I got what I paid for 'performance'.... :)

Generally in my experience in an otherwise healthy brake system a soft brake pedal is due to air in the line(s). Brake fluid is for all intents incompressible, air is definitely not. It sounds like this condition has existed in yours since new. I'd investigate ASAP, it IS your brakes after all....
 
#18 ·
I have a 2014 Ridgeline, To start in a retired mechanic. This truck is the best vehicle I've ever owned !
The brakes have Always been soft, when my wife bought a new Pathfinder in 18 (4 miles on it) I drove it & the brakes are so good I put my Ridgeline in the shop and had All the brakes done...Didn't change Anything. In everything I've read on my truck,, only draw backs are: Soft brakes, and higher ground clearance.
But if you lift, you lose handling..and I Love the way it handles !!!
Just adjusting your driving,, allowing for a bit more distance....
 
#19 ·
I felt the same way when I bought my 2019 Ridgeline, after complaining to the dealer they did a pressurized bleed on the system and it got much better but always felt much softer than our other cars. Guess over time I got used to the pedal and have never had a problem stopping under any condition even when pulling a heavy trailer.
 
#22 ·
I had this syndrome on my 2017 RTL-T. Had the brakes flushed at 10K and that helped a little. Now I flush them every 30K. At 30K, replaced rotors and pads with Stop-tech pieces, drilled and slotted rotors, better pads. That improved braking performance a lot, but still did not give a Porsche/VW/Audi feel - early engagement, hard pedal, easy modulation in very short travel.
I later read on this thread that some of the G2s had bad master cylinders from the factory. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who did that refit.
Brakes are still strong, but maybe this soft pedal feel/long travel is endemic to this vehicle.
 
#37 ·
Yeah, Ridgelines especially do a lot of things very well. Good handling, solid power, comfortable cabin, good economy, unbeatable snow handling, good looks, longevity - the list goes on . . .
Going on a user site like this, one sees all the warts under a microscope. I'm pretty sure you could go on the Colorado/Tacoma/Ram/Frontier/Ranger sites and find the same quibbling and whining about inconsequential stuff, and likely more complaints of real substance. Life is full of unsatisfactory things, be happy.
 
#26 ·
Mine does the exact same thing. Then I took it in for service at 20K for tire rotation and oil change, when I drove off the lot I about went through the windshield. There was no indication on the service records of any brake adjustment or anything. Eventually they return to the way they were. Long travel at first, pump once and they're right where they should be.
 
#28 ·
I had this problem with my 2017. Had to argue with the dealer before they would bleed the brakes. That helped considerably but it still wasn't perfect and I should have had it done again. I just bought at 2024 RL and the brakes are very good, very solid so the spongy brake feel is not normal and it should be correctable.