Man, this car is keeping me humble. I pulled near to the wall in a parking structure this morning, put the car in park, set the e-brake, then released the brake pedal... and crunch. The car rolled forward into the concrete wall. On the dash was a red Parking Brake Fault warning which I hadn't noticed while reaching for my briefcase. I backed the car up and re-parked, but again the parking brake will not set. The paint along the nose of the car is now chipped and scraped. Along with the crack up the center of my windshield that spontaneously appeared overnight a few weeks ago, the car is starting to look battle scared.

I'm still reading through prior EPB threads; in the meantime, does anyone know a way to determine whether this is an electrical or mechanical issue?

 

It moved in Park? Wow. Interesting. I never use the parking brake.

 

I must have only been an inch or two away--I'm still not used to judging the distance in this car.

 

I always put the car in neutral, then apply the e-brake, then release the foot brake, then put it in Park. That way you can check if there is any roll from a hill or a bad e-brake before it puts too much tension on the selector cable.

But then again I don't think you 2010+'s have a selector cable.

As for your issue, check the condition of the e-brake pads, then try the e-brake resetting procedure? The manual should also have troubleshooting procedures for that fault.

 

Thanks, I'll look through the manual for the reset procedure.

Another odd thing is that I got no audible warning from the front parking sensors as I parked. One more issue to look into.

 

You could always try the HARD RESET procedure to see if it works. Disconnect both battery cables and touch them together for about ten seconds. This will discharge all the volatile memory stored. You'll probably have to reset the windows afterwards.

 

The front and rear parking sensors on my 2009 XKR activate automatically only after the transmission is shifted into reverse. They both remain active until the transmission is shifted into drive and the speed exceeds 8? mph (I'm not positive; it might be lower).

My front parking sensor doesn't activate without first being in reverse. Maybe that's why your front sensors didn't warn you that you were too close to the wall. To turn the front and rear parking sensors on manually, push the button in the overhead console. When it's illuminated, they're on. You can also manually turn the parking sensors off with the same button, instead of waiting until you exceed the automatic speed cutoff.

 

Good info Stuart, thanks for sharing.

I had to park twice more last night and saw the same Parking Brake Fault error on the dash each time. After reading the shop manual this morning, I disconnected the battery (10mm!) the reconnected. Next, without pressing the brake, I turned the ignition on. 'Apply Foot and Park Brake' was then displayed in the instrument cluster. Pressing the brake pedal I pulled up on the e-brake lever and the parking brake activated successfully. I activated and deactivated a second time to double check its function and all seems to be well. A simple enough fix for now, right? And a good reminder to stash a 10mm wrench in the car.

 

I'm glad you got that fixed easily. All sorts of electrical gremlins happen when the battery starts to get low, and your EPB issue could be the first sign. How old is your battery? Is it your daily driver and, if so, how many miles is your commute? Do you use a battery maintainer like a CTEK? Do you always lock the doors, even when parked in your garage? There are lots of threads about electrical gremlins and what to do about them.

 

I don't think you have any tension on the selector cable as it only moves the shift linkage into a fixed position. The tension will be on the pawl inside the gearbox .

 

Yes, I drive the car daily--roughly 800 miles (1300 km) a month. I don't know the age of the battery, but I haven't noticed any other symptoms of low voltage. The doors are always kept locked when parked--have others noticed a correlation between that and battery issues?

 

Signs of a low battery can be ANY electronic issue....recently for me it was the simple random appearance of the TPMS warning light...but it can be any electrical malfunction.

 

In my 13 Vert. There is a button on the rearmost portion of the pad at the upper center of the windshield that is labeled Park (I think) with a small red light right below it. If you press that button while in D it will turn on the front parking sensors without having to shift into reverse first. I use all the time.

 

You have an insurance claim.
And your deductible wont be a problem.

 

Yes, but why won't the deductible be a problem? Also, do you want to submit a claim that will increase the cost of your insurance? Time to push the pencil for the cost-benefit analysis. Compare the cost to repair to the premium increase, the report of damage to CarFax and AutoCheck and the effect on resale value, and if you can make a first-party insurance claim for Diminished Value.
https://www.thezebra.com/auto-insura...urance-claims/
https://www.4autoinsurancequote.com/...-car-accident/

 

There is no deductible in many places for the windshield- by law!
Comprehensive should not increase the cost of ins- thus the law.
Diminished value...or diminished car, or diminished pocket book....choices.

A kind adjuster will go around the car and include things under one claim.

 

The OP drove into a wall in his parking structure and damaged the front bumper. That's a Collision claim subject to a deductible. And the point of my cost/benefit comments.

The windshield damage occurred at an earlier date and is a separate Comprehensive claim.

Diminished Value in Georgia is not a choice. Georgia is one of the few states where insurers are required by law to pay for the diminution in value resulting from an accident.

 

Using the parking brake on these cars is just asking for it to lock up and not release when you need it. Really bad design.

OP, you really need to learn where your cars body is and not rely on electronics...

 

Parking spots in parking garages are very often on an incline. Parking on an incline and no using the ebrake is risking serious transmission damage. I'll take a scuff on the nose over having to remove and service the transmission.

 

Funny after nearly 60 years of driving manuals and auto's I had only once the need to use my hand/parking brake. That was with my 1966 XKE where the front disc rotor broke and in order to stop the car I had to use the handbrake. Oh I have never had a transmission failure so I'm OK with parking using the park feature in the transmission. Just my preference.