2014 CRV with Brake Buddy Classic/Digital problems

[rjdelong@sbcglobal.net]

Have owned and used Brake Buddies since 1998 in a variety of vehicles with no problems.  Have towed the 2014 CRV with my 2009 Brake Buddy Classic since June of 2016, and no problem until May of 2018, when I put flat spots on the front two CRV tires when the brakes locked up.  Flat towed the rest of the Summer until this again re-occurred in September.  Sent the Brake Buddy into Hopkins where they tested it and said that testing by Engineering found "no problems and suggested that I set the pressure lower for a CRV".  (By weight I was setting the PSI at 55 and BB said to try 30 PSI). Felt confident that things were now OK and before we left on our next trip we had 4 new Michelin tires put on the CRV.  No problems until we returned home and about 10 miles from the campground had to stop (not a panic stop) for a traffic light and the brakes locked up again and our brand-new Michelins were destroyed on the front of the CRV.  At that point I disconnected the Brake Buddy and drove the rest of the way home without a brake assist in the CRV.  Made an appointment with our local Honda dealer, who sold us the car in 2016 and also the Michelins in September of 2018.  They took the front brakes apart and inspected them completely after seeing the tires and said, "Checked over vehicle braking systems and ABS system and unable to verify any concern on the vehicle side.  Spoke with Honda, Honda has no experience with Brake Buddy, believed to be issue on Brake Buddy side as everything is operating properly on the vehicle".  Replaced the front tires at my expense.  Lastly, took the CRV to the company that installed our hitch and wiring system for the Brake Buddy and their inspection indicates that all the work and wiring looks good on the CRV.  I am at a loss - does anyone have any suggestions?

[five]

I just had a similar issue with a 14 CRV and Blue Ox Patriot II purchased in the summer of 2017.  Long story short, when driving the CRV, I noticed a rumbling sound coming from the back when ever I braked.  Honda pulled the wheels and noticed the two front rotors were scored, one of the rear rotors was black from being hot and the other rear rotor was broken in three places.  They turned the front rotors, replaced the rear rotors and put on new pads all around.  The only thing that could have happened is that when driving on an extremely rough road, the Blue Ox, that sits on the floor between the brake pedal and the front seat, moved enough to apply the brakes.  I keep the power set on the lowest setting. Now I put a bungee cord around the Patriot, securing it to the seat.