Oh, you’re referring to the "Parking Brake" (also called E-Brake, Emergency Brake)

The type of Parking Brake you described is commonly found on Pickup trucks and SUVs. Its also used on some Cars, mostly with column shifters. My Expedition has that type of Parking Brake. To apply it, you depress the small Parking Brake pedal next to the foot well panel. To release it, there is a Parking Brake Release handle just above the PB pedal (mounted at the bottom of the dash knee panel) You pull back on that handle, and the Parking Brake is released. While the Parking Brake is engaged, a warning light is illuminated in the instrument cluster to let the driver know the E-Brake is engaged.

Same basic principle applies to all other vehicles.

Thanks i knew it was like that, only thing is that i never see the small piece you pull back to release it!! anyway, i've also read that on automatic cars it is better to use it even if it is enough with the "P" potition because the transmission won't suffer otherwise if you just leave it on "P" the weight of the car will all "rest" on the transmission, do you use the e-brake then?

I don’t use the E-Brake when parking on level ground. However when I travel to the mountains of NC, I always use it. Down in valleys its not so bad, but higher up its best to always use Parking Brakes if the ground is not level. Wheel chocks are also a good idea. I usually lock the Expedition’s brakes and chock the wheels on the travel trailer for good measure. So the Expedition doesn’t decide to go on a littlie trip of its own without my permission.

I can answer it at least for my car. You "depress" (meaning to press down) the pedal to the floor and it disengages, allowing the pedal to rise to the normal position (such as when the vehicle is in motion).

On some cars there is a handle, similar in size and placement to the hood release lever, so there can be some confusion if one is borrowing another's car. This handle is pulled to release the parking brake if the design of the pedal doesn't allow the operation described above. Usually the brake lever is labeled as such "PARKING BRAKE" or "EMERGENCY" and the universal (I guess it is anyway) symbol showing the opened hood is silk-screened onto the hood release.

Both my Mercury and Dodge have the parking brake on the floor like Neptune and Roadmaster described. For the Mercury, you would expect that, but it's a little strange for the Dodge to have it there since it was designed to be a hard-core "sports" car. In place of the usual sports car parking brake on the center console is a big leather armrest, which is quite fine with me! Better that than a big lever which can just as easily be made a pedal on the floor without taking up so much space.

I never use the parking brake anyway, the Park position in the trans. can handle it, and I don't want to get the E-brake stuck in the lock postion so I can't move the car. When that happens you have to have a mechanic pry it off, it's a big annoyance, better to avoid it by not using the parking brake.

I know many other cars do, i always pay attention to those details.



That doesn't change anything, many European cars can get those arms you mention to and they still have the hand brake.



Why on Earth would it get stuck?

Because it is never used. There is moveable parts in the parking break and if you never "move" them they will get stuck.

Another reason could be if the car is standing around long with the parking break (some weeks) it could also get stuck.

It won't be a problem if you use the parking break every day.

Ah ok!

Yes, it's totally stupid to use the handbrake, if there is no gradient, where you are parking.
And this is girl's behaviour. When I see a car parking and hear the "croongg" of the handbrake, I always look, who had done it - mostly women.

To avoid, that the handbrake stucks, you should use it it time by time, while driving. Sure, not violently, because the car can maybe slippering, but on this way you clean the discs/drums from rust, dirt and water.
Especially, when you are planning to park your car on a place, where a handbrake is necessary, you shold make this on the trip to that place.

I doesn't take much time, that a pulled brake can stuck. Once I had it after half an hour at my K 70! It was wintertime, the roads wet and salty and I've parked the car on the steep way downhill to my former garage. 30 minutes later I've opened the handbrake had the car was still standing - and the way down to the cellar-garage was indeed steep. After starting the engine and a big power on the wheels, fortunatley the "pang"-sound was coming and it was rolling again.

Oouhh, I remember a total idiot at my Bundeswehr-time. This Sargeant has fixed the handbrakes of all our VW Buses - any some were stucked. Surely from the cars close to the doors. And it's a real fucking handbrake-construction of the VW T3's.
O.k., it was the work for the technicans, not for me as the driver.

And this idiot has learned the car-mechanic-profession before his Army-times. But this hasn't helped anything. No kidding, he had really the opinion, that the oil-level has always be checked, when the engine is running...

P.S. @CCF: the handbrake-system, you have mentioned, was (still is?) in use at all Mercedes Benz-cars.

There you have to take care on your left shinbone! You loose the foot-handbrake with a hand-choke on the left side of the dashboard. And when your left leg is too outstretched, the handbrake-pedal will smash onto the shinbone. So be alert, when you are driving a Mercedes.


I must admit, that I was really getting pissed, when I drove a Saab for the first time (a 1974 Saab 99) and couldn't pull out the ignition-key! I was randomly alone in the car, without the owner. After getting more and more nervous and aggressive, I got suddenly the "clic" for the solution in my brain - the reverse gear...

Ingo no offense i appreciate you but don't be "silly" if that's the case in Germany then ok but i promise you that in Spain everybody use the hand brake once the car is parked... and i don't see how this is stupid.



The hand-brake may stuck like Atom said if the car is left parked for a very long time somewhere but it's very dificult for it to happen, in fact i've never seen anybody doing that insane thing to prevent the hand-brake from getting stuck, very safe to do yes...



I really can't believe what i'm reading , i always use the hand-brake and i never practise with it before parking the car, nor does anybody that i know...



Sure it does, as i said that never happened to me nor my dad or friends and they do have the car parked for several days sometimes without moving and this never happened...




Yes it's still used, my aunt and uncle own a Mercedes-Benz C-SportCoupé with that type of "hand-brake".



You don't have to take care of anything Ingo blimey!, it's true that it is a very uncomfortable place for the hand-brake to be, my aunt told me that it's quite annoying to be on a slope, having to stop, then put neutral so you can get your foot off the clutch and apply the hand brake (well e-brake now seing where it's located) then press the clutch again, engage first and you're ready to make the coordination... very annoying, this type of brake is good for automatics in where you don't have to do this in big slopes but for a manual car is just annoying, as i said, my aunt would hate it, now she doesn't use this car anymore, my uncle does instead.




What?

I always thought that it is so dumb how some cars you have to put in reverse to get the key out. What's the point?

As I know, the reason is the Saab-safety-philosopy. At first the ignition lock is between the seats, so it cannot destroy your knee, when you have a heavy crash.
And it's safer to park a car in the reverse gear, because it's the smallest transformation ratio. If the car is parked with higher gears, it can roll easier.

Sure, you should do so. It depends, which Mercedes-model you have. The older ones have this problems for sure. I remember the pain I had, when the handbrake-pedal of my grandmother's 1986 200 automatic [W124] kicked against my leg.

Perhaps it is because you drive too close to the steering wheel

Even though I drive an automatic, I always apply the handbrake when I park, it's just second-nature like locking the car when you leave away from it and not leaving the windows down (expect perhaps when it's in your own driveway). It don't see how it's being like a "woman driver" (not that I disagree with this stereotype ) and the ground can often slope a little bit even when it looks flat. I know with automatics "Park" usually stops it rolling foward but I don't see what harm it does, handbrakes usually last for years before they get slack. I don't think I've ever seen anyone not bothering to do it, when I was learning to drive instructors would even tell me to put the handbrake on while waiting at traffic lights (because you to have find the "biting point" before you set off and all that).

By the way, I don't why Americans call it an "Emergency Brake" because I don't think it's a good idea to apply the handbrake/footbrake/parking brake while the car is in motion, especially not when cornering unless you're doing stunt driving and you know what you're doing.

If the handbrake is adjusted not too strong and with different power on the left and right side, and if you don't pull up the handle fast and powerfully, and press still the locking-knob, nothing will happen -except slowing down-, when you use the handbrake while driving, even not at higher speed.

I have pulled the handbrake of my Omega, when I was driving around 180 km/h and nothing has happened.
O.k., it was quite weak before and now it's out of function at all. This is the reason, why tday I gave the Omega to a friend for fixing.
Not only because of the handbrake, also the rubber-metal-bearing of the front axle were worn out. No wonder, they were still the original ones and have survived 10 years and 262 000 km in a 1.7-ton-car.
A few minutes ago my friend has called me. The brake discs are quite gone, too. But we just have mounted good used ones. O.k., the "just" means: 4 years and 120 000 km ago...


@G-Mann: the handbrake-system of Omega and Vectra is ugly to adjust. Perhaps you have made the experience, too. There are little brake-drums only for the parking-brake added to the brake-discs for the regular brake. It's uncomfortable to fix them, so the most of all Omega- and Vectra-handbrakes are working only on hte last or second last holding-point.


10 years ago I had an 1984 Audi 80 as a short-time-winter-car. It's handbrake-cable was torn. So it doesn't work and -which has disturbed me much more- has made nerving sounds. I was too stingy to invest 250 DM (ca.120 Euro) into the repair of a 700 DM-car, so I'd chosen the easiest way: I've cutted the cable off and the handbrake-handled, too. In the hole for the handle I've tamped an old cleaning rag and for the handbrake-function I took some wooden blocs. So what?

Sory, but you're wrong for two reasons:

a) I'm not a lady of the generation 50+

b) With 1.89 meters height and 110 kg weight, it's not easy to sit close in front of the steering-wheel.




This reminds me a bit to the real-slapstick-scene, me and a friend (1.90 meter, 145 kg) have presented at the "rent-a-wreck"-store in Auckland/NZ in 1998. We have tried to enter a 1986 Honda Jazz. It was not possible, no way.
We went back into the office and took a 1986 Civic Shuttle...

Thank God i thought i was alone in this...



A friend and I tried one Sunday evening on an empty industrial estate to pull the hand brake of his car while driving to see the car's reaction, our surprise came when he applied it and nothing happened, and we were stranged, for some reason one idea came to my mind and i told him "this time, stop accelerating when pulling it" (since i realised he wasn't getting his foot off the pedal) the second time he tried the car full stopped with the tyres screething, what happened? my friend's car is a BMW 3 [E46] which is rear wheel drive, so obviously if the engine kept doing the wheel sping the wheels wouldn't lock since the car engine's torque is stronger than the hand brake itself, I am sure that this is what happened to you with your Omega, your car is rear wheel drive too and that had to be what happened, but anyway why did you do that? that's not very normal to pull a hand brake while going at 180 KM/h...

Do you always lock the car and put the windows up every time? I only do that when I feel like I'm in a dangerous place. And with the convertible the whole top is down, and I don't worry about it. It just seems silly unless you live in a place where cars get stolen (and I mean regular, non-expensive exotic cars)

Funny story relating to this actually. This last Friday when I went to school, I parked in the lot with the top down (as I do every day). I left it and attened classes for the next 5 hours as usual, and then came out to get my car and drive home. I fished for my keys in both my pockets, and I couldn't find them. I started to panic, I would have to call my brother or father to bring me another set and they would not be happy. Finally I got to the car and you know what I saw? I had left them in the ignition the whole day

This happened again today when I went into a store for about 20 minutes, top down, keys in. I don't know why I keep doing this, I never did it back when I drove the Mercury. It's ok though, no one steals cars around here anyway, and definitely not a 4500 dollar Dodge.