[SoobyDooo]

I find if I just have the foot brake engaged, and then apply the parking brake, shift into neutral, the car still moves a bit as it settles.

My usual procedure is neutral, parking brake, release foot brake, park. This way, all the stress is put on the brakes first, and then the parking pawl doesn't have to do any work.

 

[Syncros#10]

I rarely use it since an electrical or computer glitch can keep you from being able to disengage the parking brake and leave you stranded. I'd rather have a mechanical handbrake for emergencies rather than having to look at all the buttons and figure out which one is for the brake. Sometimes that extra few seconds makes all the difference.

 

[Black21Limited]

Bottom line, whether or not it is necessary comes down to common sense and personal judgement.

As far as it malfunctioning in the on position, I believe the actual engagement is under the hood, and hydraulic pressure holds the rear calipers.

You could always carry two pairs of vice grips. Place them on each flexible brake hose and cut the hose. You can then drive away and still have cautious use of the brakes to get it to a repair shop.

My guess is the system is probably more reliable than a mechanical cable design.

It is basically a line lock like drag racers use to hold the front brakes. If there's a problem, it will more than likely be with a caliper sticking, and that would happen in normal braking, and not be a total surprise.

 

[SoobyDooo]

I believe the actual engagement is under the hood, and hydraulic pressure holds the rear calipers.

It is actually an electronic actuator on the rear brake calipers. It's independent from the hydraulic braking system.

I've circled it in the rear brake diagram:

 

[ptronus31]

I'm not questioning you, but I have never heard of doing it in this order. Is there a reason for it? Is the order the same if parking on level surface (for example in a garage) or on a hill?

The reason for the order is to put the load of the car, specifically on a hill, onto the parking brake and not on the parking pawl in the transmission.

 

[mikeingp]

Has anyone actually had or heard of a parking pawl shearing? Someone described it as "small", but steel is incredibly strong. I would think the engineers would know what they are doing in this case.

 

[Kevin]

^ Nope!

 

[boureesub]

I'd rather have a mechanical handbrake for emergencies rather than having to look at all the buttons and figure out which one is for the brake.

My wife had the opportunity to use her button-actuated parking brake a few weeks back, except she didn't know where it was because it is automatically actuated under normal circumstances. Not a Subaru. Goes in for rear body work next week. Don't ask.

 

[bman400]

I rarely use it since an electrical or computer glitch can keep you from being able to disengage the parking brake and leave you stranded. I'd rather have a mechanical handbrake for emergencies rather than having to look at all the buttons and figure out which one is for the brake. Sometimes that extra few seconds makes all the difference.

Every single vehicle I have owned that have e-brake have plenty of fail safes. I drove VW 2012 Jetta TDI, 2013 VW Touareg TDI and now 2014 MB ML 350 Bluetec. All have e-brake. All automatically engage when you park and open drivers door. All automatically disengage when you tab the GO Pedal. In fact the 2014 MB ML 350 Bluetec has an extra 12V battery to make sure the e-brake still works if you main battery should fail.

 

[Black21Limited]

@Syncros#10 @bman400
I get both side here.

There is a lot of reliance on "buttons" taking away the "extension" of your hands to the mechanical object that the button/electronics are now actuating.

For us old school drivers, it erodes away a little bit from what operating a car means to us.

But for the most part, these systems are more failsafe than the older ones, more when they are neglected from regular use.

Don't use the parking brake for a few years on an older vehicle and then try it, it may not work, or become stuck as the cable has seized in it's sheath.

I could really go off topic on the little bits of tech in cars that annoy me.....

I initially didn't like the parking brake design, but it is the only option they give, besides carrying a wheel chock around.

Due to the sound it makes when engaging, my wife asked me what that noise was when I first pulled the lever.

I was quick witted that day, and told her it was "Terminator Mode".

 

[DragonSubie7]

A topic not mentioned related to "always necessary to engage" is that many jurisdictions in the US (at least) require the parking brake to be set to be considered legally parked.
It doesn't matter if you are on a hill or flat ground.
e.g. California:
"2515. (a) No person driving, or in control of, or in charge of, a motor vehicle shall permit it to stand on any highway unattended without first effectively setting the brakes thereon and stopping the motor thereof."

While it's unlikely to be ticketed for the failure to deploy, especially with an e-brake, which isn't at all obvious, setting the parking brake may be a legal requirement where you operate your vehicle. Were the parking pall locking the transmission to fail, however unlikely that might be, if that happened and the car rolled off causing damage, that would be negligence from the operator who would be responsible for any damage caused.

As to the thread title - Yes - it is always legally necessary to engage the parking brake.

 

[Black21Limited]

Sorry - I didn't see your edit. You're seriously going to slide your car across your lawn?


After reading the manual, I did briefly give the e brake a tug while on dry pavement, just so I'd know what to expect. It brakes hard, but it's not going to loop the car.

It was still essentially like hitting a brick wall. Pretty harsh. My guess is it is activating both front and rear axles via the driveline being engaged 60/40. The stock Falkens grip pretty well on snow covered non paved surfaces. This was at about 10 mph. If it were deployed by accident, and you weren't prepared, you would certainly be hurting if the seatbelts weren't on.

Possibly it wouldn't be as harsh at higher speeds, but in an emergency, as long as it does what's needed, or at least reduces any damage, that's all that matters.

The legal aspect is a good point. Back when there used to be random roadside vehicle inspections, (in my area) the parking brake was one of the things they checked. You weren't required to engage it if you thought it would seize, but you had to provide proof that it was fixed or operational within 72 hours.

I always got in the habit of using it, just in case I got stuck by a roadside inspection. At least I knew it would release.

 

[Botnik]

It is actually an electronic actuator on the rear brake calipers. It's independent from the hydraulic braking system.

This is how it is on our family's other car. On that car, regarding whether or not it is always necessary to engage it, you can set it to auto mode and not worry about it. It will engage when you put the transmission in P and disengage when you take it out of P. Just make sure the parking brake is set to "auto" and that's all there is to it.

However, note that the motor turns a screw that squeezes the pads onto the rotor or releases them. It is VERY SLOW. If you put the transmission into P and then immediately remove your foot from the brake pedal, your car is going to roll and rest on the pawl anyway, and then the parking brake is going to engage a few seconds later so the parking brake becomes nothing but redundancy anyway. When I drive my wife's car, that has the electric parking brake, I stop the car, manually engage the electric parking brake, wait for the caliper motor to stop (measured in seconds), put the transmission into N, then slowly remove my foot from the brake pedal, the car will roll and rest on the parking brake, then I put my foot firmly on the brake pedal, put the transmission into P, and then do everything to get out of the car as normal. That way the car is resting on the parking brake and not on the transmission. It is the same procedure as the manual cable-actuated parking brake, just a lot slower.

I don't like the electric parking brake, because it is terribly slow, and another step when you work on the car's brakes.

 

[Black21Limited]

It takes maybe a second to fully engage on my Forester. I wouldn't call it slow. It is not instantaneous, but not that slow either. It does release much faster. That part is almost instantaneous.

 

[Botnik]

One second is faster than the RX350, but it’s still not real-time. More like a request in a queue.

 

[MY14Aus]

In Australia it's a part of the Australian Road Rules for when you leave your car. You must -

1. Switch off the Ignition and remove the key

2.APPLY THE PARKING BRAKE

3. Lock the doors.

 

[DennisR]

On flat ground, no. However when parked on a hill it is a really good idea so that the weight of the car is not trying to shear off the small parking pawl in the tranny.

To do this properly, set the parking brake THEN put it in park, not the reverse order.

This is a general rule for all cars. It is not specific to Subaru's.

 

[kiwiroy]

Is it always necessary to engage the emergency parking brake once the car is off?

Never use it with an automatic ,

 

[MGaissert]

On flat ground, no. However when parked on a hill it is a really good idea so that the weight of the car is not trying to shear off the small parking pawl in the tranny.

To do this properly, set the parking brake THEN put it in park, not the reverse order.

Make that on a hill, Set the parking brake, them put the shift into neutral, take foot off brake to allow it to roll forward a few inches, then put in park. This way the pawl is never strained.

 

[Black21Limited]

@MGaissert

With the SK parking brake, once it's engaged, there is no movement of the car, unless the tires are slipping on the ground. There is not use an internal drum brake in the rotor, so there is no movement as the shoes grip the drum.

I usually place it in neutral, or leave it in drive/reverse and pull the switch. It will be engaged before you can get it in park with normal movement of the shifter. Sure, if you cram it as fast as you can, you'll probably beat the parking brake. But you might also break the shifter....