4th bad brakelight switch 2001 Odessy

I have a Odessy and today my break light switch went out again for the
4th time since be bought the van (New in 2000).
Of cource the way we find out we have no break lights is we can't put
the van in gear.

We had 2 go out in the first 36k and the third @ 70k.
I now have 100k and my 4th switch is bad.

The dealer changed the first 2 and I had to fight with them to get the
3rd. one change out of warrenty.

Before I buy anothe Honda switch...
Has anyone else had this problem?
Is ther an aftermarket (NAPA etc..) switch that has a better life.

Thanks
Don

 

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Have you SEARCHED on www.odyclub and google.com? It doesn't sound
common, unless the switch isn't adjusted properly, so you're whacking it
every time you release the pedal...

'Curly'

 

let me guess - you live in the city. and you ride the brAKES a lot. if
urban driving average speed is 15mph, 36k is ~2000 hours. you won't be
driving with the brAKES all the time, so lets say 25% of that time,
you're stuck in traffic with the light on. that's 500 hours. that's
not so bad. just change the bulb and forget about it. use long life
bulbs if you want. or preemptively swap them out every year.

oh, there's no way a switch can cause bulb failure - other than by
racking up the hours of course.

 

Now I know why you call yourself after alcohol. You drink so much you can't
understand a simple post.

(Hint: Are bulbs mentioned anywhere at all in the original post?)

Back to your bottle....

 

Yes I've searched Odyclub and didn't really find any one else with
this problem. As for the adjustment well it was replaced by a factory
technician at the dealer every time.
I took it out only this last weekend to see if I could find any
problem with the installation.
Kind of hard to mess up.. just screws through the peddle support
bracket.. but I will have to get a manual and see how far the factory
recommends.
this is my wife van and she drive @30 miles a day to work and back,
doesn't drive with her foot on the brake and not a hole lot of start
stop driving.
I guess I pay and get another one.

One thing I did find out when I had the switch out.
It is a plastic base and a metal end (with the threads and push
button) I hit on the metal end and must of freed up the contacts
inside because not it works..

 

The break switch went on my 2003 Accord at about 40000 miles. The
replacement switch from the dealer was a little different. The piston was
thicker and the hole thing a different shape. I'm at 98000 now and still
good.

These are flimsy parts at best. Molded plastic and a few springs and
metal contacts. The replacement part was only $11.50. Honda has apparently
cut some corners here, as I have had 4 other Hondas in the past and never
replaced this part before. Yours seems to be an extreme case, that might be
due to unusual usage or something that doesn't line up right in your break
pedal assembly. This is not a complicated DIY project if you want to avoid
paying someone $65 - $80/hour, regardless of where you end up buying the
replacement part.

Bob

 

Yes, I had it out the other night and there is nothing to replacing it
and I will do it myself from now on.
(Cost at dealer $34 NAPA and other repair stores do not carry it)

Hopefully this will be the last one.

Dealer did say bring it in, when it's not, working and they will look
at it.
I asked them if they would cover the repair to the van if someone
hits her in the rear because there are no break lights while we a
bringing it in. (no answer) and when I get the switch working (by
hitting it) then we take it in, they can not find a problem with it.

It could be worse, this has been a good vehicle and she really likes
to drive it.

I would still recommend it to anyone

Don

 

Wow! It's up to $34.00 now. Amazing.

With the tailgating addiction growing at a rapid pace, it has become
even more important to be sure your brake lights work. When my switch went,
it did exactly the opposite. Turned my brake lights on even when the pedal
wasn't pushed. It almost killed the battery one night, as the lights came
on by themselves after I had parked the car for the night. Just happened to
glance out the window before going to bed and noticed the red glow. Had to
bang the switch a few times to get them to go off. That, and the
transmission interlock connection made it a frustrating little problem, as
my switch intermittently died over a period of a month or so

Bob