How to Engage and Disengage the Handbrake?
3 Answers
The parking brake, commonly known as the handbrake, provides resistance to the car when parked to prevent it from rolling. For a mechanical handbrake, pulling the lever upward engages it, while pushing it downward disengages it. If it's an electronic handbrake, pulling the button upward once engages the handbrake, and pressing it downward once disengages it. More information about the handbrake is as follows: 1. The electronic handbrake has evolved from basic parking functionality to include an automatic parking feature. The application of automatic parking technology means drivers don't need to maintain prolonged braking when the vehicle is stationary. Engaging the automatic electronic parking brake prevents unnecessary rolling of the vehicle—simply put, the car won't roll backward. 2. Driving with the handbrake engaged directly accelerates wear on the brake discs and causes the brake pads to harden due to heat, as well as stretching the handbrake cable. This leads to reduced braking performance, and the burnt smell sometimes noticed by drivers originates from this. In severe cases, smoke may appear from the rear of the car. Prolonged driving with the handbrake engaged can also cause the brake caliper to seize, leading to brake fluid leakage and excessively high brake fluid temperatures, resulting in a complete loss of braking function.
The old car I'm driving now has a traditional mechanical handbrake, and its engagement status is determined by the handbrake lever position and dashboard indicators. After the car comes to a complete stop, pulling up the handbrake lever produces audible clicking sounds from the ratchet mechanism, while the dashboard illuminates a red exclamation mark or 'P' indicator light - this confirms the braking is engaged. To release the handbrake, you need to press the top button first, then push the lever all the way down, at which point the dashboard light extinguishes. Electronic parking brakes are more intuitive - there's a 'P' button on the center console; pressing it to illuminate means activation, and pressing again to turn it off releases the brake. Whenever parking on slopes, I always pull the brake and gently rock the car to confirm wheel lock. As a reminder, don't forget to shift into P gear for prolonged parking - having this dual protection gives extra peace of mind.
My family's SUV was recently upgraded with an electronic parking brake, and its status can be checked in two main places: the dashboard icon and the button lighting. After lightly pressing the parking brake button, a red 'P' symbol immediately appears on the dashboard, and the button's edge lights up with a white backlight, indicating the brake system is engaged. To release it, press the button again while holding the brake pedal, and the simultaneous extinguishing of both lights confirms deactivation. For traditional handbrakes, observe the lever height—raising it four or five notches means it's engaged, while leveling it means disengaged. A crucial point about driving status: if the parking brake light appears on the dashboard while driving, it's definitely a fault warning. Last year, I experienced a short circuit causing the light to illuminate erroneously, and immediate garage inspection prevented abnormal brake pad wear.
