LPT: Test your emergency brake

Submitted by tbalonick t3_10m9kws in LifeProTips

You know that weird lever by the cup holders all covered in coffee grime? Or for the other half, that pedal all the way opposite the gas? Yeah that's your emergency brake.

Ideally you'll never need to use it, and 99% of you never will. But for those 1% that do, it would really really suck to need it and have it bind up or not work at all (which is more common than you'd think).

So go ahead, give it a pull/push, it should feel nice and firm and ratchet down well. Then go ahead and in a clear area put your car in drive or reverse and let off the brake, NO GAS PEDAL NEEDED. If your car moves you've got at issue that should be looked further into, it could be nothing more serious that an adjustment or a deglazing but could be much more.

I will note there is an exception to this. If you live somewhere that gets lots of snow and the roads are salted (the rust belt folks) and your vehicle has high mileage, maybe reconsider or have this looked at by a professional. The reason being is rusted up park brake components have a tendency to set and then not return and this is no Bueno when you want to start moving again. This also goes for super high mileage cars that have never had them used.

That is all. Be safe out there. 👍

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keepthetips t1_j61r8hf wrote

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twohedwlf t1_j61rwxo wrote

You mean the parking brake? I'd hope everyone is using it frequently, you should be.

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NyJosh t1_j61s0hu wrote

It's a parking brake, not an emergency brake. It's meant to hold the car in place on hills, etc. when you park to prevent putting all the weight of the car on the transmission.

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Avocado314 t1_j61szjk wrote

Have always engaged every time I park, always odd when I find people who don't. Good LPT.

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Lanceo90 t1_j62z7b1 wrote

Maybe its just been tucked away somewhere I can't find it, but I was under the impression they stopped putting these in cars a decade ago.

Granted my data points are limited to my 2001 Hyundai Elantra having one, my 2011 Toyota Camry not, and work's 2014 Ford F150 not.

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Bongos-Not-Bombs t1_j655t6d wrote

Replying to lurkinglen (#1,534,709)

It's not quite the same. In an automatic, you have something called a parking pawl, which is a little cam that prevents the transmission from moving when in park. When you park a manual in gear with the parking brake disengaged, all that's holding it there is engine compression - and park on a hill steep enough, you may find that the force of gravity is enough to overcome that.

Will you be OK 98% of the time? Probably, but I've parked my Jeep on pretty precarious inclines before off-road and if you make it muscle memory you don't have to worry about it.

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