Do you use Parking brake everytime you park your car ?? PartsAvatar Explains everything you need to know about Parking Brakes!

How often do you use Parking brakes of your car? Let’s discuss the importance of parking brakes in this article – Parts avatar Auto brake parts

Why do we specifically call parking brakes as parking one? This is because they are meant to be used when you need to park your car. But the major question arises that how often do we use parking brakes? The answer is most of use the parking brakes on the hills or if your car’s transmission is manual. According to a research, about 82 percent of the vehicles with manual transmission use parking brake to park their vehicle.

This methodology is totally wrong. Whether you are in hilly or a flat area, using automatic or manual transmission, you should use parking brakes every time you park your car. Parking brake has nothing to do with the transmission mode and terrain.

Why parking brakes?

The parking brake on a car provides redundant safety feature that prevents unintended vehicle movement due to user error or the failure of transmission system. Not applying the parking brake means the driver solely relies on the transmission to hold the vehicle after he parks.

Parking brakes are one of the pivotal components of the car’s safety system. It is not only important part of manual transmission but also plays important role in automatic transmission. When a vehicle with automatic transmission triggers parking mode, parking pawl inside the transmission engages. Parking pawl engages into the notch ring that is attached to the output shaft of the transmission. When the brakes are engaged, the pawl restricts the transmission output shaft from turning.

If the parking pawl breaks or become dislodged then there might be a problem of car rolling away. This is the least case of hazard even though. But still we should take precautions. The parking brake enables strong hold of your car than just putting the car in “Parking” mode.

The steps to apply and release the parking brakes are quite simple. Most parking brakes are hand operated levers located in the center console. Steps to apply the parking brakes are:

1. Put your foot on the brake pedal.

2. Pull up on the parking brake handle.

3. Lift the handle as far as you can.

4. Put the car in park.

5. Take your foot off the brake pedal.

6. Turn off the engine!

It is to be noted that you should set the parking brake while your foot is still on the brake pedal, before shifting to “park”. This reduces the strain on the parking pawl.

Depending on the vehicle there are two ways to release the parking brake. In some cars, either the brake pedal is pushed until you hear a “click” sound or brake lever is pulled which is located near parking brake pedal. To release the parking brake:

1. Put your foot on the brake pedal.

2. Crank the engine.

3. Press the release button at the end of parking lever depending upon your vehicle while lifting up slightly.

4. Lower the lever completely. Make sure that the parking brake light disappears.

5. Put the car in gear.

Before driving away, make sure to disengage the parking brake otherwise it will ruin your car parts slowly. So make this a habit to apply the parking brakes when you park the car and disengage the parking brake before you drive. This also ensures the long-lasting life of your car’s brake pads.

Symptoms of a failing Parking brake and its parts

As a safety feature, all cars and trucks are equipped with parking/emergency brakes. These brakes are not only meant to park the car but also can be used in an emergency situation. There are certain symptoms that sign towards malfunctioning parking brakes. For the sake of your safety, pay attention to the following symptoms.

Parking brake not engaging properly

It the very first signal of a malfunctioning parking brake. If there is a problem occurring while pulling or engaging the parking brakes, it means the parking brakes have gone bad and you may not be able to engage them in emergency situations or to park your car.

Parking brake won’t release

Another symptom is parking brake not disengaging properly. Parking brake may have issues while disengaging if the lever gets stuck or jammed. It is not good for your vehicle because if you start driving with parking brakes engaged, it will cause the brakes to overheat and sustain damage.

Parking brake shoes does not hold vehicle

If the parking brake shoes become worn, they lose their tendency to hold and secure the weight of the vehicle. It may cause the car to roll on inclined surfaces like hills which is quite dangerous.

If the parking shoes are severely worn, the end result will be a non operational parking brake. This increases the risk of rolling and accidents on inclined surfaces. Parking brake shoes of your car play an important role in parking brake control. Make a visit to your mechanic and replace the car parking brake shoes if they are worn.

Parking brake cable malfunctioning

Parking cable in many cars is used to activate the parking brake. A failing parking cable may result in vehicle rolling down the surface or getting into a serious accident.

If the parking brake cable becomes excessively worn it will not be able to pull the parking brakes tightly. This may cause the vehicle to roll even if the brakes are engaged due to loose gripping. Parking brake won’t be able to function if the cable breaks.

Another symptom of a broken or worn out parking release cable is illuminating car's parking warning light switch. If the parking light switch is still illuminating even after disengaging the parking brakes, it means that cable has been stuck or the release process has not been performed properly.

If you suspect any issue then get your parking brake cables replaced.

Parking brake release cable fails to disengage the brakes

The parking brake release cable’s main task is to disengage the parking brake. Make sure your car’s parking brake release cable is in good condition otherwise issues with disengaging of brakes effect the brake and transmission system drastically.

If you are unable to disengage the parking brakes, there are chances that the release cable has been broken. Waste no time and get your car checked by technician immediately.

The parking brake release cable corrodes over time. In cold temperature areas, the cable may become frozen and fails to disengage the brakes when needed. It is wise to first warm up your car before disengaging the brakes if it is freezing outside.

If you are driving your car with the parking brakes still engaged, you are just ruining your vehicle’s entire braking system yourself. Save yourself from unwanted repair bills.

Repair parking brake

Parking brake repair is also a part of car’s routine maintenance. You can easily maintain some of the components of the parking brake system or at least could decrease your repair bill.

Make small adjustments

Check your car’s service manual and make small adjustments like tightening the cable or removing the additional slack.

Apply lubricant

Lubricate the parking brake system if they become sticky by time. If you have problem releasing the brakes, sometimes the brakes might be demanding lubrication. Review entire parking brake mechanisms for further lubrication by removing rear brakes if the stickiness still persists.

Replace worn cables

Carefully replace the worn cable. A damaged cable results in malfunctioning parking brakes and inability to stay on an inclined plane. There are chances of rolling of car if the cable breaks. For your safety, without any delay, get them replace if necessary.

So, with this guide, you will get to know about another important safety feature of car. 

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