Break click noise when first pressed?

J

Josh

New Member
So far I love the Clarity plug in!! I have noticed that each time I go to press the brake pedal I hear a slight click. It's always only one click with each press. Does anyone else have this issue?
 
Have not heard this on the Clarity. More details could help diagnose. As a long-time Honda owner, I can tell you that it has been normal for me to hear momentary clicking, typically from rear brake pads over time due to very specific circumstances. You pull forward into a parking spot and brake. Then later are backing out of the spot. When you apply the brakes backing out, the rear pads will shift (my assessment of what's happening) in their housing slightly causing a sound. I've had this on three vehicles, so have come to expect it: when the stopping process is reversed (forward, then back or back then forward), the pads will shift and cause a one-time noise.
 
Thanks for the reply. Yeah this is my fourth Honda so I know what you speak of - and this is different. This sound is coming from the inside at the pedal right when I press it. It's not very loud but it is mildly frustrating.
 
That click seems to be coming from the engine compartment and occurs even if the car isn't running.

I'm sure there may be another answer, but I think it's the brake light relay as the lights come on with the click.

geo
 
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I've heard it as well, and if you pay attention you will notice that the adaptive cruise control also causes the click when it is decelerating relatively hard.

As K8QM says, the most likely source would be the relay turning on the brake lights, which is what I'd assumed.
 
insightman said:
A car so quiet that clicks you would never hear in a normal car become annoying!
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That's definitely true--there's no way I would have been able to hear that click on any previous vehicle I've owned, and I suspect they all did something similar.
 
vicw said:
I finally found a benefit to old age, and my diminished hearing. I haven't heard that click in the first five months of daily use.
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Honestly, even with young-person hearing, there's a good chance you wouldn't notice it. It's really quiet. You pretty much have to be on a smooth piece of asphalt without the sound system on, going slow, and listening, to notice.

In hindsight, I'm actually not so sure the sound I heard when the ACC heavily decelerated was the same, because I don't think it would be audible on the freeway. That might have been whatever is actuating the friction brakes kicking in.
 
Saw this old thread. Reviving it to see if this is still the case with the latest 2018 clarity.

Today I started hearing the click when I press the brake pedal. I hear it even when the car is powered off. Heard it in ACC mode as well.
Do you hear this in your car?
 
Could your new Clarity be so quiet that you are hearing the switch that turns on the brake lights?
You can test that in your garage or at night and may find that the brake lights go on or off when you hear the click. If so, “problem” solved.
 
KentuckyKen said:
Could your new Clarity be so quiet that you are hearing the switch that turns on the brake lights?
You can test that in your garage or at night and may find that the brake lights go on or off when you hear the click. If so, “problem” solved.
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Like other members said in this thread, I do think it is from the brake relay. What's the fix? It is annoying in traffic jams driving on EV.
 
My apology. I didn’t reread the thread.
The switch is usually either on the underside of the brake pedal or on the floorboard/firewall. Sorry, but my back doesn’t want me to stand on my head and go look. Perhaps you could carefully wrap some tape or foam padding around it (without interfering with its fiction) while you wait to arrive at my age where you will no longer be able to hear it?

I’ve got a little bit of thin closed cell foam with a peel and stick back that might work if you find that the switch is such that it can be applied to it.
PM if that’s the case. A better alternative might be the very sticky wrap that HVAC service people use to wrap refrigerant lines to prevent condensation. It’s very sticky and molds to any shape and stays in place well. I bet they would just give you an inch or two of it.
 
SoapOpera said:
Like other members said in this thread, I do think it is from the brake relay. What's the fix? It is annoying in traffic jams driving on EV.
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There is no “fix”. It’s not broken. Relays and switches often click.

Drown it out with the radio is my genuine suggestion.
 
I am going to take it to the dealer on 6/22 and see what they have to say. I do not believe I heard this clicking sound in the first couple of weeks after I took the delivery. It just started happening.
 
I get it too, but only heard it (first noticed it now) by gently pressing the pedal in the garage. In the quiet garage, it easy to hear, every time.

Sounds like the relay might be under the dash. I was about to explore a bit, when my neighbor started to mow his lawn next door. Then, I could no longer hear the sound. The trim part under the dash, under the steering wheel, can be difficult to properly reseat (the middle post near the door on mine was difficult to align and get back in), so explore with caution.

Never noticed the click before, on mine more of a low frequency thunk, possibly these relays have a range of loudness and/or sound, and I am old too.

If someone checks out the various parts pages, there is probably a relay called brake light relay, or some similar name.
 
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