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Handbrake Failure?

61K views 64 replies 24 participants last post by  Teutonic_Tamer 
#1 ·
Hi all!

Parked on a hill, didn't leave it in gear, car rolled 100yds into parked cars, much shouting, big premium increase.

Yep, didn't leave it in gear, you're right -- stupid!

But is it just me or should the handbrake not be capable of keeping the car stopped otherwise what is it there for? Why not just use the gearbox?

It stayed where it was for ten minutes before rolling back and evidently this is due to the discs and/or calipers cooling and contracting thus reducing the pressure on the discs.

Just wondered whether anyone has had a similar experience and what the outcome was if you spoke to Audi?

Cheers!
 
#2 ·
Hi
Yes, this happened to me as well :angry:
Here's my story:
A few years ago I had just collected my A3 from a service. On the way home I realised that they did not attend to the squeaking clutch pedal. I drove straight back to the dealer and parked it on the steep incline right in front of the door.

I put the car in neutral and pumped the clutch to make sure it was still squeaking before calling the mechanic. He was not available at the time, so I carried on shouting about my service record book that is missing now (till this day).

The nice lady at the desk helped me look for the book. We opened the boot, got into the car looking under the seats and, and, and... Then we went back into the reception area to wait for the mechanic.

A moment later a security guard came storming in, white in the face, shouting something about a car smashing.

My A3 had run down the incline, just missed a brand new A6, missed the pillar of the shade netting, turned away from the boom at the exit (not going down the busy street), and came to rest against the guard house, smashing the guard's wooden bench.

Fortunately, I had minor damage, the bumper got ripped and one chip in the paint.

At that stage I exploded and immediately assumed that they had adjusted the brake as part of the service.

The manager then lifted the car on the lift and showed me every thing is ok.
He then gave the same explanation of the discs that cool down, shrink and let go.
Yes, I did not pull the brake to the last click.

He felt sorry for me… The guard was very upset about his bench.
I did not take the matter up further since I felt 50% to blame – maybe I should have.

** ALWAYS USE THE HANDBRAKE ON THE MAX AND PUT THE CAR IN GEAR. **
 
#4 ·
This is a issue with all cars now with discs all round. This is due to the discs cooling and then contracting. In the Audi handbook they're covered as the say to leave the car in gear. Since seeing watchdog's show on the citroens many years ago, I always leave the car in gear. Although my current car is an auto, so the park and handbrake work the same way.

You have my sympathies, at you're right, it is about time they came up with a solution like an electronic gearbox lock.
 
#5 ·
Hi,

Just had the same thing happen to me with my 2006 A3.

I agree that something should be done, at least a warning indicator linked to a tilt sensor or something?

I usually always have the car in gear because I'm used to a gear lock, but it just takes one occassion for something like this to happen.

In my case, the car rolled into a pillar and garage door causing MAJOR damage to the rear end, including the axle and control arms.

Y
 
#6 ·
hi

recently had the same problems with 2004 2.0tdi sport
pulled in a friends garage and got out of the car , after about 3 min talkin to my friend he had a face like
:confused:
my car was rolling out of his workshop doors into the street.had anything been coming down the street the car would have been write off and i would not be very happy. luckily after rolling out the car stopped in the middle of the road unharmed. the garage floor had the slightest slope to it not really visible.

leave it in gear from now on!! :)
 
#7 ·
Help needed

:) Hi All,

To cut a very long story short.....

I have a 03 Audi A3 and the handbrake failed 30mins after parking the vehicle on a hill, it wrote off two cars and caused close on €10,000 of damage to my own car. After researching this area and seeing that several people have experienced the same problem.

I wish to do something about it, and want to hold Audi in some way responsible or at least acknowledge that there is an obvious problem with this model.

I would really appreciate if you could email me your experiences in detail along with any response you received from your dealer or Audi as currently my solicitor has requested a discovery on Audi meaning any report of handbrake failure has to be disclosed.

I can imagine though that some of you may not have reported the problem directly to Audi and would really appreciate any impute from you. In order for me to put forward a comprehensive case and in addition any help I can be to anyone else experiencing a similar situation, please contact me.

ciaranevin@hotmail.com
 
#8 · (Edited)
Hi all

My two week old Audi A4 ran down my sisters drive and crashed into their entrance pillars after being parked for approx 20 mins (luckily nobody was injured or killed). This happened on Sun 20/5/07. I would really appreciate some help as Audi Ireland and the dealer are saying they never heard of hand brake failure before or disc's heating and contracting rendering the handbrake ineffective. I applied the handbrake but, stupidly enough, did'nt put the car in gear. I have since noitced that you are advised to do so in the manual but this is on page 174. I only have the manual and the car for two weeks!! Totally distraught and disgruntled.....

Email: cao_22@hotmail.com
 
#11 · (Edited)
A3 Handbrake Failure 2 On One Street!!

Please copy and paste the link below into your explorer for photo's, scroll down to March 20th
  • www.steeplejack.co.uk/NewsEngineer.php?PageNumber= 2
Our new 07 A3 Sportback was less than 3 weeks old when its handbrake failed, it had been on a short 2 mile round journey from cold first thing in the morning (how could the brakes have even reached operating temp during this period?) before being parked on our slight incline of a drive. The car was left with the handbrake applied (but unfortunately out of gear), on the drive for at least 30mins (we had been in the house for at least 30mins before walking past the car still parked on the drive) while we went out on foot, we returned to find the car missing off the drive, only to discover it had rolled backwards off the drive down an embankment hitting a tree before resting in a neighbouring fence. The cost of the repair (at an Audi approved repairer!!) approx £1300.

The ironic thing is Christmas week a 56 plate A3 sportback had rolled down from further up our street embedding itself in the same fence!!!! Two on the same street, the same postcode and still a problem is denied by the dealership and Audi!!!

Being new to the street it wasn't until we suffered the handbrake failure that we learned from the 56 plate A3 owners the reason as to why their car had parked itself in the fence, if we had discovered the reason earlier we may have thought long and hard before buying our A3 or at the very least been mindful to leave the car in gear.

The response we had from our Nottingham Audi dealer was one of complete surprise :confused:, claiming to never having heard of an Audi handbrake failing. It would appear this particular dealership has, at the very least a short memory..... December 2006 a 56 plate A3 sportback, from our street, handbrake failed??:mad:

Fortunately to date I have read of no one being injured as a result of this most alarming and obvious fault... I fear however that unless there is immediate recognition of the braking fault by Audi and its dealership network and a recall on the A3 it will only be a matter of time before we are reading of something catastrophic that could have and should have been prevented....

I am sure there are eminent and influential people from Audi who read these forums, one things for sure if a hand brake related incident does result in an injury or a fatality there will definitely be a certain group of professionals (wearing big white wigs) who will refer to the contents of this forum

Deepest sympathy's to all who have experienced this trauma, it shouldn't happen regardless of whether or not the car is left in gear or not a handbrake at any point in a cars life should remain capable of securing a vehicle on any gradient otherwise what is its use??

Good luck to you all as you pursue your claim with your respective Audi dealerships, particularly as you discover the main culprit AUDI continues to keep its head plugged firmly in the sand!!
 
#13 ·
Badger61 said:
This, um, "problem" is commonly known as "Pilot Error"
This "pilot error" you refer to, would this also be responsible for the same 07 A3 allowing a "swimming pool" to form in the drivers foot well following a heavy shower yesterday? Shooks I guess I must have left the window down... NOT!!

20 years ago I owned a ford Capri that used to do the same thing i.e let water in when it rained, thing was I knew it was going to happen so I placed polythene in the footwell...I know "Pilot Error" on my part should have been prepared for an indoor swimming pool in my brand new Audi A3...... Whatever next hey.... expecting a 3 week old car of being capable of holding itself on its handbrake??

WOW Audi really know how to produce a quality product!!!

Audi have built a reputation for build quality and reliability so much so I was enticed to purchase my first ever Audi, however as the demand for the Audi product expands so does pressure on production, it's a supply and demand thing in all industry, to meet with this growing demand lapses in build quality will carry a heavy price, i.e Mercedes Benz!!!

If you have any other explanation for the non performance of this sub standard product that I have purchased from Audi I would love to hear it
 
#61 ·
There is a very well-known problem with all "A5" class of VAG cars (current A3, Golf Mk5, current Seat Leon, current Skoda Octavia, current Audi TT) - with the Convenience Control Module - whereby it can lower the electric windows on its own, even when the car is locked. The rectification is usually a new CCU, because a flash software update doesn't seem to cure the problem.
 
#16 ·
Sorry to hear you have had some problems concam, expectations are high on the Audi brand, rightly so for the premium you pay, however mechanical things can and do go wrong however much quality control is implemented hence the 3 year warranty,I have only experienced water leaks into footwells on older model A3s. Lets hope your Centre can get it sorted for you without too much more grief.
 
#17 ·
Sorry to hear about your handbrake issue but i havent had any complaints of this nature at my centre but i will bear it in mind.I can help with the water ingress as after pending the best part of two weeks on two brand new 06 a3s last year i located both leaks to insufficent sealant at the windscreen osf a pillar.I had new screens fitted and sealed and reported it to audi but they were the only two i no of unlike vw who seem suffer more water ingress than audi ie passat.Sorry to see your dissatisfaction with audi but they are well built and issues like this are few and far between.Before you ask if i am from audi i will say iam not but iam a audi master technician at an audi dealer and i am also honest.Best Regards Jon
 
#18 ·
VW Golf Handbrake Failure

There was an article on page 4 of today's Daily Mirror (06/06/07) where a new VW Golf TDI suffered handbrake failure, rolled 70 yards downhill, smashed a wall and then got stuck leaving its owner looking on in disbelief :confused: :mad: !!!!!!

Sound familiar anyone...........?? Audi / VW................!!

Cao
 
#20 ·
I dont know how meny golf/a3 are currently on the road but i do know that your claim of handbrake failure is unfounded as there doesnt seem to be meny people backing your argumentation.You need to prove it to AUDI and not this forum.I have witnessed all kinds of customer complaints and most are unfounded as the driver hasnt been using the car correctly.The handbrake set up on your a3 has been around long enough now that they are mot tested and i dont here of any failing,but then again you have to fully apply the lever for lock up to occur.I suggest you forward your findings to audi and not the dealer.:eek:
 
#21 ·
Badger61 said:
Why would you not leave a vehicle in gear if you parked on a hill???? Sounds like another failure of the operator to me.
Badger 61 & A8 Tech, your defensive of the Audi brand is admirable, before I proceed further allow me to list the cars I run at the minute which are as follows; A Land Rover Discovery 3 54 plate owned from new, a Porsche Cayman s 07 plate and an Audi A3 07 plate.

I would expect niggles with all cars with the possible exception of Porsche and a handful of Japanese, however what I would not expect is a main safety component part to fail so catastrophically as it did on the Audi A3.

Allow me to remind you both the car was not even three weeks old, it had been parked and held on the handbrake for at least 30mins before deciding to release itself.

Yes we can go on forever about the fact the driver didn't leave the car in gear but you are missing the fundamental point!! Any handbrake should always remain capable of supporting the weight of the car otherwise what is it's use?? Would it's failure to do so actually not lead to it failing an MOT?? or are you suggesting that if when driving any manual car if it is required to come to a halt on a gradient we all just sit there on the clutch and throttle??? Surely not??

The fact is an A3 Audi handbrake failed and it is not the 1st, check out this forum and to boot the same quality product ships water into the drivers footwell when it rains heavy.....

Sorry Badger and Tech there is no defense and attempting to blame the drivers of these Audi's involved in these instances or claiming never to have encountered a handbrake failure is definitely no defense...
 
#22 · (Edited)
Soldier People Military organization Troop Infantry
OK I GET THE POINT BUT STILL NOT HAD ANY COMPLAINTS.Regards Jon (i hope no one takes any offence at the photo as this is not its intention)
 
#23 ·
The Cayman Club - lemon help

"I bought my car from manhattan motorcars. It was a leftover 06 CS.. 13 miles on the odometer. On the way home about 20 miles into my drive to delaware the check engine light went on. I've had it at the dealership twice and it keeps coming back on. The highbeams were also flickering when turned on.. My car makes a funny noise when I make a left hand turn..

I took it to brandwine porsche. They put me in an enterprise POS rental car. I'm pretty frustrated.. I absolutely love my car..I've owned primarily Audi's in the past and never had a problem like this. At least when something was wrong with the car they didn't put me in a ford focus."
 
#24 · (Edited)
We All Should Expect Problems With Launch Models

Badger, the Cayman s like almost every other new model launch from any manufacturer has had it issues (hence I didn't purchase one for 18 months)....the discovery 3 54 plate I drive has been back to the dealer some 14 times suspension failure x3, numerous electrical faults, excessive tyre wear etc etc... as annoying as this fact is I took a chance like everyone does (perhaps some unknowingly) when keen to own a new model and anyone doing this should expect issues..... However what is not acceptable and is completely inexcusable is when an established and proven model, as the A3 undoubtedly is, that has been around for donkeys years suddenly develops problems that are difficult to align with new technology.

Handbrakes failing and water coming into the drivers footwell are problems associated with old models not new models or facelifts of models that are established.

Like I commented in an earlier posting as demand for the Audi brand continues (Audi currently have the fastest growing brand name in the world) the pressure on production will increase, if standards are dropped in meeting with this demand it will return to haunt Audi.
 
#25 ·
Irish Broadcaster Investigating Audi Handbrakes

I am an investigative journalist with RTE, the Irish national TV and Radio broadcaster.

I am researching the problems some individuals have been having with the handbrakes on a range of Audi models.

I would be grateful if any of the contributors to this thread would relate their experiences to me.

My e-mail is pbh@rte.ie or you can call me directly in Dublin on 00 353 1 2082353

Thank you

Philip Boucher-Hayes
Reporter
RTE Radio Investigative Unit
 
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