Handbrake Failure?

[CAO]

Sorry to hear about your wifes A3's handbrake failure. I would strongly suggest you take it up with your Audi dealer (if applicable) and/or your Audi customer service department in your country of residence. I know of at least one ongoing litigation case involving and Audi A3 and I will send you details of same. I too emailed watchdog concerning my Audi handbrake failure but had no reply. Good luck

[Badger61]

And the first reply to this thread in 7 months in which I have seen at least 5-8 A3 through the shop everyday with no instance of a reported concern or "failure" Hmmmmm?

[handbrakefail77]

Why do Audi feel the need to mention in their handbook that the car should be left in gear when parked on an incline if there is no known issue with the handbrake? We also own a Toyota Corolla and there is no mention in their handbook to leave the car in gear, and guess what? It stays still when parked on a hill!!! Hmmmmm.

[Badger61]

Originally Posted by handbrakefail77

Why do Audi feel the need to mention in their handbook that the car should be left in gear when parked on an incline if there is no known issue with the handbrake? We also own a Toyota Corolla and there is no mention in their handbook to leave the car in gear, and guess what? It stays still when parked on a hill!!! Hmmmmm.

You read your handbook? Surely this is common sense to leave in gear and steer into the kerb when on an incline (highway code)

[OilBurner]

Originally Posted by Badger61

You read your handbook? Surely this is common sense to leave in gear and steer into the kerb when on an incline (highway code)

My thoughts entirely. I ALWAYS leave my car in gear when it's on any kind of incline. This is, as Badger states, in both the highway code and in the owner's manual. Add to that my driving instructor also covered it during my driving lessons although the reason he gave for doing this was in case the handbrake cable were to snap.

You can try and lay the blame on the manufacturer but it isn't their fault - this is simply physics. When your discs and pads are hot (and you don't need to drive far/ do much braking for them to become hot) they will be bigger than when they are cold. Therefore you'll only need to pull the handbrake a little bit before it starts to feel "firm" - but this would feel less firm on cold discs and pads.

This "problem" will not be unique to the Audi range - but it will be on any car from any manufacturer fitted with a manual handbrake and discs all round.

Please - stop this blame culture and accept responsibility (and think about the physics of the situation). Take this as a lesson to always at least leave your car in gear and if you are near a curb then turn the wheels into that too.

I only hope I never park "downhill" of any of the complainers on here!

[Badger61]

At last a voice of reason, thank you OilBurner.

[a8 tech]

i still havent recived one single complaint on this issue

[Nuvolarian]

Hello,

this afternoon my wife and I got the fright of our lives when the handbrake of my half year old A3 Sportback failed and the vehicle rolled off our gently sloped (a few degrees off the horizontal) drive onto a road while my 2 and half year old daughter was still in the back.

Thankfully no vehicles or pedestians were passing and the car hit a lamp post leaving it sat across both lanes. My daughter was fine, unlike mum and dad whose unders were browned.

I had fully applied the handbrake when I had parked the vehicle. By fully I mean the lever was at the 40-45 degree angle to the middle console. You cannot apply the brake more fully. The vehicle had been driven gently around town for 15 minutes prior to rolling away in moderate temperatures and heavy rain.

When I opened the door I immediately saw the handgrip (i.e. the bit covered with leather that the release button pokes through) on the handbrake had been displaced forward on the lever assembly, and was fully lowered as in the position it is in when the handbrake is fully released. When I gripped it I found it had come free of the handbrake completely and was easily removed.

Having reparked my vehicle and chocked up the wheels I called Audi Customer Services who passed me through to the RAC who then attended to examine the vehicle. It took the patrolman just a few minutes to come to the conclusion that the grip had come free of the main assembly and moved forward slightly when I applied the handbrake and interferred with the action of the release button preventing the two sets of teeth in the handbrake mechanism achieving full union.

It was then only a matter of timr before the limited grip failed and the handbrake released completely.

So my car is now at my local dealer and I'm awaiting their response.

Anyone else had this experience?