Daca

[Daca]

I have a VW Passat 2006. It has a push button hand break. I started the car pressed the button to release the hand break, break light switched off and I tried to move off, but car was straining to move as if handbreak was on?? Why? My husband rocked the car forward and backward, I tried the car again and was then able to drive of, what is happening? Can anyone tell me?

[Buenchico]

If it's been cold in your part of the country it was probably just ice preventing the cable moving inside its sheaf.

Alternatively, if a vehicle has been unused for a while it's quite common for the brakes to lock up, requiring a few extra revs to pull away (or, in extreme cases, constantly changing from forward to reverse until they're released). Repeatedly pulling the handbrake really hard on, and then fully releasing it, can help as well. While the problem is most noticeable if the vehicle has been standing for months, it can sometimes occur after just a day or two of not being moved.

I normally expect to experience minor difficulties (through locked brakes) when pulling away after my car hasn't been used for about 3 days or so. But I've also had to drive vehicles which hadn't been moved for over 6 months, requiring up to half an hour of effort before the brakes would come off.

Chris

[Daca]

Thanks for your advice, but I still think this is bad to happen and thought it was just a Passat fault. By the way the day before the car was in for a service at VW and I just thought that they might have done something to the car when servicing? The car is driven most days, so is not left standing for long periods.

[mjwman]

Brakes! Why do so many folk here say breaks?

[jesyca]

the vw passats do suffer this problem with the push button handbrake, it has nothing to do with pads stciking to discs in cold weather, the problem WILL get worse and eventually they will stick on requiring a tow truck to take to a garage or a main dealer, the actual part is approx 65 to 75 pounds + the fitting of it, call in to your local vw dealer and tell them the problem, they already know about this, by the way, the service will of had no effect or bearing on this, sadly just a coincidence.

[jesyca]

oh and also has nothing to do with a cable sticking due to cold weather, it is the button itself, there is no handbrake to pull on as hard as you can on these cars (buenchico) just a button to press to put on and press to release.

[eastern]

Is it a Diesel? If so you will be getting a recall for your injectors to be changed, get it checked then. The handbrake on mine sometimes refuses to come off, then there is a warning light on the dash which you can only cancel by restarting the car. You normally hear the whirring sound when it releases.

[Andyvon]

Why do motor manufacturers fit such features nowadays? Almost all car handbrakes worked on a lever and cable system until recently. That's almost bullet-proof and all that's needed is a new cable from time to time. These push-button systems are so unnecessarily complicated, they aren't as reliable as lever and cables and they cost much more when they go wrong.

If your push-button handbrake is starting to give problems Daca, it's almost certainly a fault with the switch or the release mechanism. My neighbour's car has a push-button brake and that failed to lock on recently - the car rolled off downhill and crunched another! As a couple of others have said here, now the problem has shown itself it will only get worse. You should have the handbrake repaired as soon as possible.

[Daca]

Eastern - I have had the recall for the injectors to be changed and this was done the day before at VW after which the very next day I started to have trouble with the handbrake, could be a coincidence as Jesyca says,but I think I will take it back to get it checked out before it gets any worse, or suddenly locks whilst driving at speed, which doesn't bare thinking about.