2012 honda civic won t start check brake system

My 2012 Honda Civic LX won't start.

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Brakes locked up and car won't start
Why does my Honda Civic say check brake system?
What does check brake system mean on Honda?
What does it mean when my car says check brake system?
How do you reset the electronic parking brake on a Honda Civic?

I drove it to the store (engine off), took it home (engine off), tried to start it again and it
won't start. All of the lights work, air works, radio works, etc., but when I go to turn on
the engine, there's only a strange clicking noise. Any thoughts?

Also, is this covered under Honda's warranty? In other words, can I take it to the
dealer, and they'll fix it without me having to pay for anything? This car is accident free
and this is the first time this car won't start.

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Solved: Battery and Starter problem.

TL;DR: 2012 Civic won't start. Brakes are hard. Nothing noticeable engine-side.

I have a 2012 Honda Civic. Tonight, I was getting hungry, so I stepped outside into my car and thought I was gonna go for a 5-mile drive for some fast-food.

I felt awkward putting my key into the ignition, and I didn't successfully start the car. I thought just to try again, but now it was telling me to check the brakes. I was stepping on the pedal and it was okay, I thought nothing of it. The lights worked and everything seemed fine, but the car still wouldn't start.

My brother and I checked out the car to see if there was something clear we could identity. Neither of us are experienced mechanics, but we wanted to see if there was something obvious even we couldn't miss. I then decided to try to start the car again, and I noticed, as I put my foot on the brake pedal, that it was hard to push in. I was able to push it in further to turn on the brake light, but the car still won't start.

I've never had any work done on the car, and it has roughly 25k on it. Not sure what the problem is exactly, but that's all I know about it. Anything anyone might be able to say to lend some insight would help a great deal.

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Brakes locked up and car won't start

Thread starter bauer311
Start date May 1, 2016

So I went to start my car this afternoon after having already drove it to work today. When I tried to start the electrical is working but I'm getting warnings about checking the brake system and the brake pedal is really hard. Called Honda Roadside assistance, but they can't tow my car until tomorrow because the dealership is closed. Any ideas out there?

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Nix

Jötunn Moderator

Try disconnecting the negative on the battery, wait a few minutes, hook it back up and let it idle a few minutes. Should probably still get it checked out but I wonder if a low or bad battery is the root cause.

EDIT: I know its late on a Sunday but if you can get it running again try and find an auto zone before they close and see if they can test your battery for you. More than one person on here has had a bad battery from Honda that died quickly.

Thread starter
#3

I guess I forgot to mention I tried to reset the ecu before I called Honda, my bad nix. Thanks for the quick response though.

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Nix

Jötunn Moderator

Staff
#5

3 or 4 people have had your exact description and they all had a dead/bad battery. Electronics worked...brake warning...dead battery.

Thread starter
#6

I can't figure out why the battery would be dead, but thanks for the info. Why would that lock up the brakes though? Technology.....

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Staff
#7

Not sure why it does what it does, but a lot of people had bad batteries. A LOT. They even did recalls on a range of vins a few years back or so due to batteries. Some had 3+ replaced.

Thread starter
#8

Ok, thanks for the info webby. Just frustrating having these problems with a new car. Guess it'll get fixed soon enough.

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I had to have my battery replaced on my '14 and the car wasn't even 6 months old.
The battery wasn't holding a charge and would be dead in the morning after sitting in the garage overnight.

Thread starter
#10

I've been having the same kind of situation. I was able to jump my car this morning so I'm letting it run to charge the battery. I did realize this morning that the rear bolt on the positive terminal was loose so I tightened that up. Thanks again everyone for the help, gonna get the battery checked today and make sure everything is good with that. Yall are the best. 9th civic!

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Thread starter
#11

Battery just needed charging. But again guys, thanks for the input.

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Staff
#12

I'd still take it to a place like autozone for them to test the battery itself. You may find yourself in the same position in a day or week from now

Thread starter
#13

I did, that's what they told me, the CCA were good, just low charge.

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Same issue here 2017 Honda civic sport.
Just needed new battery

2,376178Vehicle Model Civic SI Body Style Coupe

I've been having the same kind of situation. I was able to jump my car this morning so I'm letting it run to charge the battery. I did realize this morning that the rear bolt on the positive terminal was loose so I tightened that up. Thanks again everyone for the help, gonna get the battery checked today and make sure everything is good with that. Yall are the best. 9th civic!
Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

these Honda's have a very small battery, I use a battery tender quite often.

So I went to start my car this afternoon after having already drove it to work today. When I tried to start the electrical is working but I'm getting warnings about checking the brake system and the brake pedal is really hard. Called Honda Roadside assistance, but they can't tow my car until tomorrow because the dealership is closed. Any ideas out there?
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I have now the same problem but it also says the check the airbags, abs and brake system does anyone knows what it is?

Staff
#17

I have now the same problem but it also says the check the airbags, abs and brake system does anyone knows what it is?

likely the battery. Did you see all of the people above who had a bad battery? Check it with a multi meter and see what kind of charge you have.

2,376178Vehicle Model Civic SI Body Style Coupe

Hondas eat battery a lot especially cheapo one's.

2,1191,228 Ontario CanadaVehicle Model Honda Civic SI Body Style sedan

If you keep having this problem you could have a parasitic draw on the battery.

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Why does my Honda Civic say check brake system?

If the electronic parking brake has become stuck, You will also see a light that says "check brake system". You will find that pushing down on Your pedal is very difficult. In some cases, a dead battery is actually the culprit that set off the warning.

What does check brake system mean on Honda?

This brake light indicates that there is an issue with your parking brake, or it is still engaged: These lights indicate different possible issues within your braking system. All vehicles are different, which means the brake warning indicator could be different on your vehicle than these.

What does it mean when my car says check brake system?

The most likely issue is that your brakes need service (fluid filled, brake pads replaced, etc.), but it may also mean that there's a malfunction somewhere in the system. If the message does not clear, or comes back again, have your car inspected as soon as possible. Take all Brake system warnings seriously.