Emergency brake use

Just wanted to find out how many owners out there are using their emergency brake(i.e. "Hand brake") every time they park their cars. I have always used it in all my ICE cars, both AT and MT. The need for the hand brake in a manual is obvious, but I have also used the e-brake in ATs each time as I've always thought that the e-brake would help prevent the transmission gears from getting worn out as the car would always still roll an inch or two after shifting into Park and letting up on the brake pedal.

I live in the NE area and have heard some people say before that the e-brake shouldn't be used in the winter time as it may freeze and not release if parked outside over night. The other camp(including the Car Talk brothers who are pretty savvy about cars) says that it should always be used as an additional safety measure to keep the car from rolling away when parked.

I went on the Leaf Live Chat a month ago to double check on this. The rep stated that there was no need to use the e-brake on a routine basis, that it is meant for special situations like when parked on a hill. I do feel the car rolling a few inches after I hit "Park" just like with an ICE, so the potential wear on the motor worries me. And even with the e-brake engaged, I still have to step on the pedal a good 5-6 clicks before I can tell that the brakes are really engaged(my Prius only takes 3-4 clicks).

As the Leaf is an EV, I am not really sure what is the proper way to use it, especially after I found out from same chat that the Live Chat reps don't always give the correct information.

smnewport said:

...
As the Leaf is an EV, I am not really sure what is the proper way to use it, especially after I found out from same chat that the Live Chat reps don't always give the correct information.

Click to expand...

Quit listening to Live Chat :shock:

The emergency / parking brake should always be set when the vehicle is parked.
Listen to Click and Clack

There is a post on MNL where someone parked and apparently were on an upslope and managed to leave the car in Ready mode.
With the stupid built in creep the vehicle did not move and they failed to recognize they failed to turn it off.

The next morning it was at the bottom of the driveway and had crashed theough a fence :shock:
If they had set the parking / emergency brake that would NOT have happened.

ALWAYS set the parking / emergency brake. :!:

I take a somewhat different stance. If I am on level ground, I do not set it. If I am on unlevel ground, I do. This comes from years of experience in cold climates where the emergency brake could freeze on overnight...

Always set the parking brake. That is what it is for. If you get in the habit, you will never forget to do it when it is actually needed. I have seen this happen a number of times when (as mentioned above) people think they put the car in park (but didn't) and then started to get out, which usually leads to a poor outcome. Plus it is just good mechanical practice to put the load on the parking brake system, instead of on the transmission/transaxle.

The only time I ever had a parking brake stick was when driving my parents' cars back in the Rust Belt. They steadfastly refused to use the parking brake, preferring to reserve it for emergencies. So the moving parts eventually seized because they never got moved. So much for emergencies. :roll:

The last time I set a parking brake on any car was when I had a stick shift 300ZX in 1980.

I never set parking brake being Florida is pretty level ground.

I always set the parking brake when away from home. In my garage I don't set it because if things are wet it can stick — from rust, I presume — when left overnight, and it just isn't necessary anyway.

Prior to the LEAF all my cars were manual transmission, so setting the parking brake when parked is just second nature for me. Haven't ever had the parking brake stick from freezing in very cold weather. Although parking lots tend to be level here, almost nothing else is in this area, so setting a parking brake is a good habit to develop. The electric parking brake on my 2012 makes it easy.

I learned to drive with manual transmissions, so using the parking brake is natural for me. I tend to only set it when I'm on an incline, even if that incline isn't steep. My dad used to work for Chrysler, so we had a lot of Chrysler vehicles to drive. Those cars are a pain to get out of park if they're on an incline.

Sounds like people are split 50:50. Anyone know what the manual's official stance is?

Parking brake? Hmmmmm. I know the car has one. I'll need to go out and check where it is.

Nubo said:

The only time I ever had a parking brake stick was when driving my parents' cars back in the Rust Belt. They steadfastly refused to use the parking brake, preferring to reserve it for emergencies. So the moving parts eventually seized because they never got moved. So much for emergencies. :roll:

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If it where to seize from rust, I would rather it seize applied on than off. I agree using it will help to prevent this from happening.

It seems pretty cut and dried to me. As with all of my cars, I only use it when parked on an incline or decline.

Truth is not a democracy.

My unsolicited opinion is that it's a safety measure that should always be used - just like seatbelts, stopping at stop signs, and looking both ways before crossing the street. YMMV.

-Tal

Hello,
I don't use the E-brake except when on a hill. My granddaughter applied it a while back and it broke. I have a 2011 electric applied system. It was rusted inside and I had to refurbish it. Car was flashing warnings and such at me. :?

I also only set it when on inclines. If the car's going to move while parked on level ground, the emergency brake isn't going to do anything to save the day.

The parking brake != leaving the car in neutral. On level ground it'll only move if the ground no longer becomes level, or if someone is going to move/tow it themselves (in which case, it's moving anyways).

I've had both types of mechanical emergency brakes, and dealt with them over 3+ decades. The ones I used kept working, and the ones that were left for emergencies or occasion use on hills rusted and seized. If it never needs an adjustment, you aren't using it enough. Using it when parking on more or less level ground saves the parking pawl(s) in the transmission from excess wear if the car has a non-manual transmission - including the Leaf.

I was taught in Driver's Ed way back in the 60s to always set the parking brake. It is such a habit by now, I doubt I could stop even if I wanted.

LeftieBiker said:

I've had both types of mechanical emergency brakes, and dealt with them over 3+ decades. The ones I used kept working, and the ones that were left for emergencies or occasion use on hills rusted and seized. If it never needs an adjustment, you aren't using it enough. Using it when parking on more or less level ground saves the parking pawl(s) in the transmission from excess wear if the car has a non-manual transmission - including the Leaf.

Click to expand...

I've never lived in a climate where rust on cars is an issue, but that's always been my understanding. If you don't use it, it freezes up from rust and/or ice formation.

I'll admit I don't use the electronic parking brake on either the Leaf or eGolf unless I'm parked on anything less than level ground. For some reason I don't find it as convenient as a conventional mechanical brake (both hand lever and foot-operated). OTOH with a manual parking brake I use those religiously even on a car with an automatic transmission. I think it's due to having to wait for the electric mechanism to finish, along with having to look at a button or light to see if it's activated, whereas with the mechanical methods you know it's off or on immediately and you can do so by feel.

A primary reason to always set the parking brake first in the LEAF is that an electric vehicle is dead quiet when stopped.

Quite a few people have on occasion made the human performance error of not getting the LEAF turned OFF, and in some cases not getting it in Park.

Much lower risk from that error if you train yourself to always set the parking brake first when parking an electric vehicle.

I have to admit when driving an ICE I don't always do that.
But I have never started to walk away from a running ICE.

It is much easier to make that error with an electric vehicle than you may think.

I too learned to drive in the days when autos were a rarity. It was also the days of secondary roads being universally shingle topped, not sealed, and handbrakes were very useful for learning the dark arts of sliding through corners

I got into the habit early, when washing the car, of taking it out for a quick spin to engage the brakes, foot and handbrake, to dry them out - I do it to this day. I have only ever had the handbrake stick on if I have forgotten to dry out the brakes.

There is also one other good reason for using the handbrake - it is when you have parked on the street, or some other public space, and some out-of-it lowlife rear-ends your car. It is NOT good for your transmission....