[mickeyboat]

I can count on one hand the number of times I have felt it necessary to use a parking brake in over 55 years of driving. A couple of parking situations in downtown Seattle and San Francisco come to mind. I have always relied on the transmission and or the combination of transmission engine compression to keep my auto parked safely. How popular is the use of a parking brake. I note the Pacifica has an auto parking brake feature.

 

[Tiz]

I can count on one hand the number of times I have felt it necessary to use a parking brake in over 55 years of driving. A couple of parking situations in downtown Seattle and San Francisco come to mind. I have always relied on the transmission and or the combination of transmission engine compression to keep my auto parked safely. How popular is the use of a parking brake. I note the Pacifica has an auto parking brake feature.

If you have been driving for 55 years, mine is 53, I am sure you remember driving a stick and having to use the parking break all the time. I certainly do.:smile2:

 

[mickeyboat]

If you have been driving for 55 years, mine is 53, I am sure you remember driving a stick and having to use the parking break all the time. I certainly do.:smile2:

I drove a 3 on the tree and a 4 on the floor for many years and never used the parking brake??? The engine compression kept the car staying still.

 

[SherylBear]

I used my parking brake all the time when I drove a standard mustang. That was a 1993 though.

 

[Mike]

I've driven a stick my whole life and always use the hand brake.

I'm just going to put this here:

Car Myths Debunked ? When to Use Your Emergency Brake

 

[Gohawks1224]

Everyone should be using the E brake. The 2016 Toyota Prius just had TWO recalls for this very subject. The transmission plastic parking pawl (keeps the car from rolling when in Park) is faulty and is breaking. Toyota remedies this by installing ANOTHER buzzer that goes off when the ebrake is not engaged after shifting the car into Park to remind you to use the Ebrake. I forget what the other recall fix was for but it was related (and I am too lazy to go look it up). Point being is, always use your E Brake! The tranny is not enough to stop your car and is not designed to.

 

[ljnelson109]

I was taught that it was an "emergency brake". My father grew up in a suburb of Chicago. He said that any fool who used it as a parking brake was setting themselves up for a frozen brake when they came out to the car in the morning!

That said, I use mine when I am parked on a steep hill to avoid having the weight hang on the park pawl in the automatic transmission. When I drove a manual, I was taught to leave it in 1st or reverse so that the engine would have plenty of leverage to hold the car with engine compression. I would use the "emergency brake" if I left the car running and needed to get out of the car, or again, parked on a steep incline.

 

[OCPacifica]

Wasn't the auto brake a problem for another member whose PacHy froze up? Because it was on auto, they couldn't tow and had to put the van on skids and then on a flatbed?

I've only used my parking brake on inclines... and like others, when I used to have manual shift, I used the parking brake.

Does the PacHy need to auto park brake? I turned mine off and don't use it.

 

[tsax6010]

Around here in NE Ohio steep graded driveways are all too common where the parking brake is really necessary - but I was also always taught that when it comes to the emergency/parking brake - "use it or lose it". The point being that parking brakes do not like to sit and go unused. It is not uncommon for points in the linkage to get so corroded over time that when you do need it something may not work right. I use the auto setting on my Pacifica so it sees daily use. If there is a problem with it hopefully it will be apparent, and thus addressed, before I have an emergency situation where there is an issue with the hydraulic brake system or encounter a steep hill that requires its use.

 

[1984 Sheepdog]

The car I got rid of for my gas pacific (seems that a lot of topics relevant to both versions are being posted in PHEV area recently) was a sub-compact car with a 5 speed manual. The owners manual said to always use the parking brake so I always did. after 10.5 years, the parking brake worked just fine.


Note that the Pacifica owner's manual implies that you should always use the parking brake when parking the car. I like the auto parking brake feature, but it occasionally doesn't work correctly, and you need to actually press the button to disengage the brake, or start over and put the car back in park, then back into gear. I suspect this might be times when the driver doesn't push down on the regular brake hard enough when shifting, but I'm not sure. This feature also only works if you have your seat belt buckled.

 

[tsax6010]

(seems that a lot of topics relevant to both versions are being posted in PHEV area recently).

Agreed. Maybe the hybrid crowd does not want opinions from us *cough* "gassy" people...

There was a South Park episode about this come to think of it :wink2:

Note that the Pacifica owner's manual implies that you should always use the parking brake when parking the car. I like the auto parking brake feature, but it occasionally doesn't work correctly, and you need to actually press the button to disengage the brake, or start over and put the car back in park, then back into gear. I suspect this might be times when the driver doesn't push down on the regular brake hard enough when shifting, but I'm not sure. This feature also only works if you have your seat belt buckled.

There is a previous thread about the issues with auto disengaging the parking brake. You get used to the quirks, but it is really consistent in its inconsistencies.

 

[CentralFla]

Question, as I have not tried it. With a hand brake (emergency), or a pedal applied parking/emergency brake you can apply steady pressure to slow and bring the vehicle to a stop. How does this push button brake work? I would hope it works in the same manner to slow/stop the vehicle.

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[kd6gwz]

California Vehicle Code

VEHICLE CODE - VEH
DIVISION 11. RULES OF THE ROAD [21000 - 23336] ( Division 11 enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3. )

CHAPTER 9. Stopping, Standing, and Parking [22500 - 22526] ( Chapter 9 enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3. )

22515.
(a) No person driving, or in control of, or in charge of, a motor vehicle shall permit it to stand on any highway unattended without first effectively setting the brakes thereon and stopping the motor thereof.
(b) No person in control of, or in charge of, any vehicle, other than a motor vehicle, shall permit it to stand on any highway without first effectively setting the brakes thereon, or blocking the wheels thereof, to effectively prevent the movement of the vehicle.
(Amended by Stats. 1986, Ch. 362, Sec. 3.)

 

[tsax6010]

California Vehicle Code

I know that this may come as a shock to those living in the country of California to our west, but CA law is often eccentrically unique and does not apply to the rest of us :surprise:

Ohio Revised Code has no such language FWIW. ORC 4513.20 "Brake equipment for vehicles" calls out the need for 2 separate mechanisms for applying the brakes, but there is nothing about their use when parked or already stopped.

 

[TMaclay]

Question, as I have not tried it. With a hand brake (emergency), or a pedal applied parking/emergency brake you can apply steady pressure to slow and bring the vehicle to a stop. How does this push button brake work? I would hope it works in the same manner to slow/stop the vehicle.

<

It's mentioned in the owner's manual (see after the cautions at end) that the park brake can be used for emergency braking while rolling by pressing and holding the button. It releases when you let go of the button. I'm guessing, this brake sets pretty hard by design so using it in wet or icy conditions may be a little tricky. The park brake is supposed to hold if you are going under 3 MPH.

It may be wise to pamper these parts as there may be some changes afoot with this setup(or maybe the ship from China is slow and they're out). When you look up the replacement parts on Chrysler's website, both the caliper and park brake mechanism are listed as NLA (no longer available) and there are no corresponding replacement parts listed. I've no idea what that means but I plan to keep using mine as recommended.

 

[Gohawks1224]

I was taught that it was an "emergency brake". My father grew up in a suburb of Chicago. He said that any fool who used it as a parking brake was setting themselves up for a frozen brake when they came out to the car in the morning!

That said, I use mine when I am parked on a steep hill to avoid having the weight hang on the park pawl in the automatic transmission. When I drove a manual, I was taught to leave it in 1st or reverse so that the engine would have plenty of leverage to hold the car with engine compression. I would use the "emergency brake" if I left the car running and needed to get out of the car, or again, parked on a steep incline.

Remember, this is an electronic e brake... no cables. While YES tech. the rotor and pads could freeze up on each other, but there is enough torque in the wheels to dislodge that. Your father was more concerned about the cable and associated levers and pulleys used for the ebrake on drum brakes. ALSO, you have to look at the properties of the DOT 3 brake fluid, which was probably not around for your father. Brake fluid can't freeze, but it can get thick and not function properly... however, you need to be in -30 degrees F for a long time for that to occur.

My observations in how this ebrake works leaves me to keep it on auto which I am ok with.

Along the lines, I think the hill assist uses the ebrake system (for up to 3 seconds I believe)... so it is a working system that can be utilized.

 

[mickeyboat]

California Vehicle Code

VEHICLE CODE - VEH
DIVISION 11. RULES OF THE ROAD [21000 - 23336] ( Division 11 enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3. )

CHAPTER 9. Stopping, Standing, and Parking [22500 - 22526] ( Chapter 9 enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3. )

22515.
(a) No person driving, or in control of, or in charge of, a motor vehicle shall permit it to stand on any highway unattended without first effectively setting the brakes thereon and stopping the motor thereof.
(b) No person in control of, or in charge of, any vehicle, other than a motor vehicle, shall permit it to stand on any highway without first effectively setting the brakes thereon, or blocking the wheels thereof, to effectively prevent the movement of the vehicle.
(Amended by Stats. 1986, Ch. 362, Sec. 3.)

Well that sums it up. IMHO, anyone that did something because of a California law in any of the other 49 states is a fool. I will never ever set my parking brake.

 

[Tsnor]

I've always used parking / emergency brake in every car, every time I turn off engine. I set it before I put tranny in park so there is no load on the tranny. Why would you want someone bumping you in the parking lot or the force of a hill to be pushing against the tranny ?

 

[Joyxpac]

I've always used parking / emergency brake in every car, every time I turn off engine. I set it before I put tranny in park so there is no load on the tranny. Why would you want someone bumping you in the parking lot or the force of a hill to be pushing against the tranny ?

This is the exact reason my mechanic told me I should be setting the parking brake when I told him I didn't use the parking brake.

 

[mathmann]

For the first four years of my driving, I lived in a house on a hillside. The street was steep, and the driveway was even steeper. I still practice today the procedure that I learned 44 years ago. Although that is fewer years of driving than some of the others who have posted here, perhaps more important than the years of driving is the years put on cars. Of the three cars that I currently have, one is 21 years old and another is 23 years old. I have held onto some cars as long as 30 years of regular driving.

I agree with the article "When to Use Your Emergency Brake: Car Myths Debunked" that @Mike cited above (post #5).

Specifically, I agree with the suggested order of things to do when applying the parking brake. "When you park your car, put it in neutral, set the emergency brake, then release the brake pedal. With the emergency brake holding the vehicle, put the transmission in gear or “Park,” and shut off the car. It reduces pressure on the clutch, transmission, parking pawl and CV joints — and reduced pressure means reduced wear."

I have always made it a practice to
1. Put my foot on the service brake pedal.
2. Shift the transmission to "neutral".
3. Set the parking brake.
4. Release the service brake pedal (The car may roll about an inch downhill as the downhill force being exerted by the car is transferred to and then held still by the parking brake. The parking brake is better suited to hold the car from rolling downhill than the parking pawl in the transmission. This also allows you to ensure that the parking brake has been applied firmly enough to hold the vehicle.).
5. After I have verified that the parking brake is holding the car, I quickly shift the transmission from "neutral" to "park".

I have known of more than one person who just used "park" and never set the parking brake who also eventually had their parking pawl break in their transmission. That is an expensive repair.

In the 5th step of the procedure that I have outlined above, I usually keep my foot off of the service brake pedal while shifting from "neutral" to "park". If it is done quickly enough, the vehicle will not shift into "reverse". However, on all of the later model Chrysler vehicles that I have driven that have the rotating knob on the dash to shift the transmission, when your foot is off of the service brake pedal and the knob is in "neutral", you cannot rotate the knob at all until you put your foot back onto the service brake pedal. Thus, for these vehicles (including the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid), I would have to change/add
5. After I have verified that the parking brake is holding the car, I reapply the service brake pedal with my foot.
6. Quickly shift the transmission from "neutral" to "park".

I think that it is interesting to note that on most heavy duty trucks and buses with an automatic transmission, there is no "park" position on the shifter. To park, you shift to "neutral" and apply the parking brake. The parking brake holds the heavy vehicle from rolling downhill, and the parking pawl in the transmission cannot be broken because there is no parking pawl in the transmission.

Regarding the possibility of air leaking out of an air brake system when a heavy duty vehicle is parked for an extended period of time, virtually all of these vehicles have a parking brake that is a spring brake system. A very strong spring is inside each parking brake canister. When the parking brake is released, air from the air brake system compresses the spring in each parking brake canister so that the spring releases the brake and the vehicle can roll. When the parking brake is applied, air is allowed to escape from the parking brake canisters, and the strong springs apply the parking brakes. When the parking brake is applied, it is the strong springs in the parking brake canisters that are holding the parking brakes in the applied postion. Thus, if the vehicle is parked for an extended period of time and the air slowly leaks out of the air brake system, the parking brakes will still hold the vehicle, because it is the springs that are applying the brakes, not the compressed air.

To the best of my knowledge, my Pacifica Hybrid is still sitting in the storage lot in Taylor, Michigan. So, I have not had an opportunity to explore how the auto-apply feature of the parking brake on this vehicle operates. If it applies the parking brake automatically when the transmission is shifted into "park", it seems to me that there would be a chance that on a hill some of the downhill force of the vehicle could be allowed to be placed on the parking pawl in the transmission, because, after the transmission has been shifted into "park", the vehicle might roll downhill when I remove my foot from the service brake pedal. If the vehicle rolls a little bit downhill in this scenario, there will be some pressure on the parking pawl in the transmission. If that is the case, and if there is a way to disable the auto-apply feature of the parking brake, I would probably disable it and then just follow the steps that I have outlined above.

http://www.pacificaforums.com/forum/editpost.php?do=editpost&p=196970