VW Auto hold - advice on freak incident

Tuesday 26th December 2017

saaby93 said:

Why yes or no?
It doesnt look like you need to put it on. Isnt it automatic so you cant forget like with an old fashioned handbrake?

The auto hold comes on automatically but the parking brake doesn’t. Auto hold and park brake are two different things. If the OP doesn’t understand the difference between the two I suspect it was on auto hold rather than the park brake. If he/she didn’t use the parking brake switch the parking brake wasn’t on.

Edited by paralla on Tuesday 26th December 22:15

32,038 posts

179 months

Tuesday 26th December 2017

paralla said:

saaby93 said:

Why yes or no?
It doesnt look like you need to put it on. Isnt it automatic so you cant forget like with an old fashioned handbrake?

This video doesnt show any button being operated
http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/technology/parking-and...

Blakewater

4,311 posts

158 months

Tuesday 26th December 2017

saaby93 said:

paralla said:

saaby93 said:

Why yes or no?
It doesnt look like you need to put it on. Isnt it automatic so you cant forget like with an old fashioned handbrake?

This video doesnt show any button being operated
http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/technology/parking-and...

I have an Audi A3 with a hill hold assist function that holds the car for a few seconds to allow hill starts without the need to apply the parking brake. You can specify a function that holds it indefinitely. I always flick the lever when applying the parking brake and the wording under this video says that's what you need to do.

essayer

9,084 posts

195 months

Wednesday 27th December 2017

But on the latest Passat (Golf, Tiguan) the parking brake is entirely automatic .. no button presses required.

32,038 posts

179 months

Wednesday 27th December 2017

Blakewater said:

I always flick the lever when applying the parking brake and the wording under this video says that's what you need to do.

How many drivers know that?
Assuming many do - there's a huge number of posts in the ' what do they know' where the switch seems to be faulty

2 sMoKiN bArReLs

30,261 posts

236 months

Wednesday 27th December 2017

essayer said:

But on the latest Passat (Golf, Tiguan) the parking brake is entirely automatic .. no button presses required.

But if switched on the foot brake needs to be pressed to apply it. Most people don't notice that as applying the brake is usually the last thing you do anyway.

juggsy

1,430 posts

131 months

Wednesday 27th December 2017

paralla said:

Edited by paralla on Tuesday 26th December 22:15

Assuming the Passat system is the same as the Golf, the parking brake comes on when switching off the ignition, you don’t need to flick the switch. I didn’t touch the parking brake switch in 2 years of owning my Golf, came off when driving away automatically and applied automatically when switching off.

1,513 posts

267 months

Wednesday 27th December 2017

fourstardan said:

Some may had seen my previous post on hill hold failure....my fault on that as this was clearly not going to be me using hill hold for a handbrake function.

The incident was on Christmas Saturday, and what happened that i'm still scratching my head on.

Parked car on a spot i've parked on before, got something out of the boot, locked up and left the car.

Came back to the car to find it rolled back and into a residents fence with the bumper needing to now be replaced.

I'm very concerned about this, has anyone had this really serious issue happen before? I've been searching a lot of forums and found a rather large amount of reports of this happening.

Where would I stand in terms of liability here? Could the EPB had failed?

I think you started this thread to address the liability question, my take would be

- who is responsible for making sure your car is securely parked - You
- Who is responsible for making sure the car is roadworthy - you ( by your own post on the first thread ' it had been playing up for a while.)

To have any chance I think you would have to prove a manufacturing defect ( which is not proven by showing that others have had cars roll away when left just on handbrake) , or defect following service on that component by a garage. VW will almost certainly have reams of data showing a low %age fix rate so on the basis of probability......

in this case I'd take responsibility, and learn, leave to a car in gear aswell.

Edited by SMB on Wednesday 27th December 10:38

32,038 posts

179 months

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/vw_passat_e...

Wednesday 27th December 2017

SMB said:

To have any chance I think you would have to prove a manufacturing defect ( which is not proven by showing that others have had cars roll away when left just on handbrake) , or defect following service on that component by a garage. VW will almost certainly have reams of data showing a low %age fix rate so on the basis of probability......

Is there enough here- long quote from previous thread

fourstardan said:

whatdo they know said:

james chalmers left an annotation (13 July 2010)

I have a 2008 vw passatt 6 speed highline, the vehicle was parked 10 minutes later the alarm made me look out and see the car running away,I tried to catch it but was too late as it gathered momentum and hit 2 other cars before jamming me between a wall and the door wrecking my car.
I would like to know how I can recover the costs I have incurred as it was very expensive repair,along with some broken ribs

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malcolm cross left an annotation (27 July 2010)

I have a 2009 Passat CC GT, I parked up, sat in the car for a couple of minutes listening to the radio, got out of the car an went to the boot, in want was to become the direction of travel for the car. I then opened the rear passenger door, removed a bag, closed the door and went off indoors. I heard a couple of minutes later an alarm, when I investigated, my neighbour came up to me and said he had just seen the car roll across the car park. The car had rolled across the car park, into a wall, scratching the back bumper, and damaging the parking system. It is not an extreme amount of damage, but enough to worry about the safety of the parking brake on the car.

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Jon Horsley left an annotation ( 6 August 2010)

Hi. I've just paid £50 to have the VW dealer replace the PB switch as my Passat Estate (2.0TDI, 6-speed) 06-reg, was doing exactly what others also describe here, i.e. EPB sometimes not engaging, sometimes not disengaging. Dealer said he changes quite a few EPB switches in a week. Not a problem on the Tiguan, I learnt, which has a different switch but maybe the same EPB system behind the switch as it shares the Passat platform.

As a deisgner of car electronics myself (engine-controllers and hybrid systems), I struggle to believe the switch is at fault because the driver info display shows its fault messages when the switch was being pressed, so clearly it is detecting a switch press. Although, it might be a dual-circuit switch for safety and if one circuit is not working (combinational diagnostics) then the action to change the parking-brake state is disabled by the car electronics - it's what we'd design into such a system.

It's a description of how the EPB works and what might be at fault I'd like to see VOSA or Trading Stds get out of VW. If lots of owners are having the same problem (particularly on a safety-critical item like this) it's a recall situation, isn't it?

BTW, my workaround until today has been not to use the EPB and leave the car in gear. Works on flat and gentle inclines, and is recommended in EPB and std cable parking-brake cars as a backup. Also, park with the front wheels steered into the curb so even if it pops out of gear AND the PB comes off, the car is unlikely to mount the curb from a standing start.

Let's hope VW see sense and enters a dialogue with the owners before we all get too naffed off and never buy a VAG again (this is my 4th VAG out of 7 cars in my lifetime = LOYAL CUSTOMER AT RISK!)

Regards,
JSNH

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Michael Parker left an annotation ( 7 August 2010)

John,

I had exactly the same problem with my 06 Passat. Local VW garage was very shifty when I asked them how many of the Parking Buttons they had changed & why they hadn't been a recall on them.

Rang VW to complain & I immediately got put through to a woman who was obviously very well briefed & just kept saying I couldn't possibly comment on that etc, etc.

VW in total denial.

Kind regards,

Mike Parker

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Steve H left an annotation ( 7 August 2010)

I have a 58 plate VW passat dsg auto sport.My parking brake sometimes won't switch on and sometimes won't disengage.I also thought i was going slightly mad as i would get back in the car after a while and the brake was off and i was sure i had put it on.After reading all the posts on here at least i know i am of sound mind and will be paying a visist to my local VW garage i think shortly.

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Pat Broderick left an annotation (12 August 2010)

Hi, I have a 07 VW Passet sports estate and my EPB does not function correctly started about 9 months ago just outside of the gaurantee period, sometimes won,t switch on and sometimes won,t switch off and is becomming more regular now, also something else rather strange this week I put on my autohold and after a couple of seconds of being on put the EPB on and I still had my seat belt connected, does anyone know what the fix is yet? and has there been any recall?
Thanks

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Keith Ambrose left an annotation (13 August 2010)

Hi everybody and thank you for all leaving your comments.

All I can say is that I have no doubt in my mind that VW know that there is a serious flaw with the EPB system on the Passat. It is a problem that has caused serious injury and ,in my opinion, could kill.

I have now returned my Passat to VW (3 year lease deal) and am glad to see the back of it.

To summarise the final outcome from all my efforts is that NOTHING was achieved. VW denied that anything is wrong with the system. VOSA are of no use whatsoever - something which is hugely frustrating and also unbelievable. This is why:-

We the general public contact VOSA when we feel there is a problem with a vehicle. They investigate the problem and then, and this is the kicker - they only share the detailed outcome of the investigation with the manufacturer and not us!! All I got was "we could find no fault"

I have ensured that everyone who has contacted me has completed the VOSA form and issued to to them to investigate so they must have a considerable number of incidences of this - I have certainly had in excess of 50.

Still VW deny it and nothing is done.

VW also then state that the vehicle handbook advises that the car should be left in gear. This is a "get out of jail card" for VW. I am not sure of the legalities but the Highway Code, which is the guide to how people are taught to drive, only recommends that a car be left in gear when parking on a slope. IT IS NOT A LAW THAT "YOU MUST" engage the gearbox. So how can VW make the statement that you must which is clearly not a law and not something that is not taught when learning to drive.

I have taken this as far as I can and even had months of correspondence with BBC Wathdog - they were not prepared to run this story without proof, which I completely understand. I was hoping that they would ask anyone who has experienced this to contact them - I am sure the numbers would run in to hundreds, if not thousands based on the fact that I have had over 50 reported incidents of the car rolling away after the handbrake was applied and held the car motionless.

I have no idea how to prove this issue is a reality when to actually see the car roll and previously have a witness to show that the EPB is applied is highly unlikely to ever happen. The fault is clearly intermittent so until someone films themselves every time they park the car.................!!

I am sure that this issue will never be brought to light as it would be hugely damaging to VW - not only would every VW be recalled (how they could fix it is beyond me as the EPB needs to go back to being a manual system) but the claims for damages would be huge. Reputation would be also damaged.

So to summarise _ I have given up as I have no idea how to continue. It has driven me mad that VW and VOSA have basically implied that the it was "human error" and I must have forgotten to apply the EPB. I know this is not the case as due to the incline involved the car would have rolled as soon as I took my foot of the brake and got out of the car! They are basically denying this ever happened.The one thing I do however, is to tell every VW Passat owner I know to "LEAVE THE CAR IN GEAR!!!!!!" which I would add, should not be necessary!

Regards

Keith Ambrose

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Galin Kolarov left an annotation (30 August 2010)

For the last couple of weeks I also started having problems with the EPB of my Passat. On a number of occasions when I engaged the EPB the car would roll off. Today the EPB refused to disengage and recovery vehicle took the car to a VW garage.

If VW refuses to acknowledge the fault with EPB which could be potentially fatal I suggest a facebook group is created called something like VW Passat EPB problems to raise this issue and gain public support.

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Howard left an annotation (23 September 2010)

I took out an extended warranty on my 07 Passat. Best money I ever spent following the apparent failure of the epb. Ten hours of labour to find nothing wrong would have really hurt (£900.00 approx)! After a week of trouble free 'epb'ing up came the error message again, in a layby on the A140, going away for the weekend! Fortunately it cleared after pushing buttons at random and until I can get it back to the agents I'm relying on the park position (it's an automatic).
After visiting various forums, I'm looking forward to the response when I see the service manager.
As a former 'gutter mechanic' I've learnt a lot from
http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/
I commend it to you.
Howard Blackledge

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Howard left an annotation (23 September 2010)

Further to the above I should have stated that the brake failed in the 'on' position, rendering the car immobile and requiring the attendance of a specialist mechanic (three quarters of an hour later). Good thing it wasn't at a busy junction or similar.
Sorry, Howard.

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Pat Broderick left an annotation (24 September 2010)

Further to my comments on the 12th of August I have since had fitted a new dash board EPB button, which inciidently has electronics in it, cost £20.00 and I have not had any problems since. Pat.

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Dickie Smith left an annotation ( 2 October 2010)

Just had the EPB on a 56 plate Passat Estate 2.0 TDI replaced after it failed. Managed to extract a 20% 'goodwill' payment from VW but still the bill has come in at over £500! From reading the above posts I guess I'm lucky the brake didn't fail when it was parked on a slope but with £500 coming out of the bank I don't feel that lucky!

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boondoggle left an annotation (12 October 2010)

I have a 07 Passat estate with 23,000 miles on the clock. Have had intermittent problems with the EPB until this weekend when it stayed engaged, totally immobilising the vehicle. I got the AA to take it to my local VW dealer who fixed the problem with a replacement switch and a software update. VW gave me 100% parts discount and a 50% labour discount. Total cost of repair £97. This issue was dealt with within 24hrs. I asked if this was a common problem and the answer was ' thats why VW gave you the goodwill discounts'. Dont pay any more if this happens to you, take it to your VW dealer and make them aware of these posts.

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Pat Broderick left an annotation (14 October 2010)

Dear Boondoggle

It only takes 2 minutes to fit the switch and they should do the software upgrade FOC, ask for your money back. Oh and only £20 for the switch they have more than covered there costs.

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Sue H left an annotation (20 October 2010)

Yesterday morning I had the same experience with my 56 Passat. Handbrake refused to release and it was firmly stuck on the drive. I contacted the VW dealers who insisted that there was no way to override this problem and I would have to have the vehicle recovered. My husband was more insistent and was finally told that disconnecting the battery for a short time should reboot the system. This did work and we were then able to drive to the garage. As I had taken out the extended warranty, a new EPB switch was fitted at no cost to me. Since returning home, I see that this appears to be a common fault with this VW. I now realise why the repair was carried out so fast, they obviously know of this fault.

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Sean S left an annotation (29 October 2010)

I have just recently started experiencing this widespread fault on a 56 plate / 4 yoa 170bHP DSG Auto Passat with low mileage (36K).

Where do I get the 20 switch from to fix it and how do you go about it?

The opening gambit from the VW dealer was 92 + VAT to check what the problem is (they know what it is I imagine!!) and then no doubt a hostage drama (broken car being the hostage) with VW being asked to contribute, then ultimately refusing..as the car has not had all its services done in the VW network. It ahs been assiduously serviced by me, to plan..

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Sean S left an annotation (29 October 2010)

Oh and...The dealer contact mentioned that they get a regular flow of Passats with this issue - 1 a week on average

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malcolm cross left an annotation ( 4 November 2010)

Well, another service, and another insinuation from the VW garage that the EPB issues are all in my head, remember the computer on-board says that no fault exists, so as far as they are concerned no fault exists. This is two dealers looking at the problem, and the script they both used was identical. The only ways to prove this is a fault, is if the computer says yes your not going made, I have a fault, or I have to keep a VW engineer in the car with me at all times....

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David S. left an annotation ( 4 November 2010)

I have a 2006 (56) Passatt SEL Estate with the hotter engine. I have intermittent EPB problems, which seem to self rectify if the car is left to stand for an hour or two. The problem is restricted to the brake not applying, rather than not releasing.

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Dave Browell left an annotation ( 9 November 2010)

From Daveb
I have a '07 diesel passat estate which had a switch change at one year old. I bought the car in May '10 from original owner, it is now a high miler at 99,000.
On its last service in june I mentioned that I was not happy with the plastic Handbrake and that the car had rolled off down the road on one occasion. The vw dealer concerned dimissed it as a one-off and my mitake saying everything had been checked and that I should have the seatbelt on when operating it. It is now in the garage again after recovery by RAC 2 weeks ago they found the fault to be 'no volts' to the near side rear caliper. A slave battery was used to release the caliper that side so I could get to the garage. The vw dealer want £500 to replace a caliper that does not need replacement.!!

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Martin Bell left an annotation (22 November 2010)

I have set up a Facebook group on this subject.
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/home...
Please feel free to join and contribute.

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Angela Rossington left an annotation (26 November 2010)

Yesterday 25/11/10 I had a similar issue,

I parked up with a friend in the car. The car was parked on a slight incline, I put the parking brake on, locked the car and stood near the car talking for a while.
Next thing the alarm went off, we both looked behind to see the car rolling down the incline in the car park and hit another car!!

Thank Goodness there was no one walking past in the car park - These cars need to be re-called - they are dangerous !!! If this were to happen on steep hill it could kill someone.

This is the first time I have purchased a Volkswagen (brought it on 29/10/10) and I now have no confidence in the car. It is booked in with the garage next week to be assessed.

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Keith Ambrose left an annotation (26 November 2010)

I am at loss as to what to advise. I have had over 50 incidents reported to me but no government body is listening.
VOSA were next to useless.
BBC Watchdog will not run a story without actual evidence which is highly unlikely bearing in mind no-one videos a parked car!
Really really dangerous and totally frustrating that a massive company like VW can get away with this.

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David S. left an annotation ( 1 December 2010)

e mail ex VW UK in reply to mine to them :-

Reference: VW-2010/11-017947

Dear Mr Smith

Thank you for contacting us regarding the electric parking brake fitted to the Passat. Please accept my apologies for the delay
in my response.

Our Technical; Support Team has confirmed that there are no known issues with the parking brake on the Passat. If a fault was
found with the electric parking brake, Volkswagen UK would issue a recall.

I trust this information proves useful.

Thank you for contacting Volkswagen UK.

Yours sincerely

Laura Drybala
Customer Service Advisor
Volkswagen Customer Service

Tel: 0800 333 666
E-mail: volkswagencustomercare@volkswagen.co.uk
Internet: www.volkswagen.co.uk

Anyone care to e mail Laura with details of their experiences?

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Keith Ambrose left an annotation ( 1 December 2010)

Thy would say that wouldn't they.

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David S. left an annotation ( 1 December 2010)

Then let us provide the evidence to prove them wrong.

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Martin Bell left an annotation ( 2 December 2010)

"no known issues with the parking brake on the Passat" - this is rubbish (I could be less polite).
I have just had my EPB repaired on my 2006 Passat - they replaced the switch. The fault was that it would refuse to engage/disengage intermittently, displaying the "EPB Fault" warning on the dash.
The VW dealer replaced the dash switch and told me that the switch had been "upgraded" since older models. He told me that 90% of the EPB problems are because of this switch. If that is not a tacit admission of a design faut, I don't know what is!
I also asked how many switches he replaced in a month - he said "Oh, not many. Probably less than one a week.". I then asked him how many handbrake cables he had to replace in a month - he said "Hardly any". Draw your own conclusions.

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Angela Rossington left an annotation ( 2 December 2010)

I had my car checked by VW garage on Tuesday.

To my surprise they found nothing wrong with the parking break, even though it had rolled down an incline after being parked several minutes !!

I asked the service Manager if the car needed parking in gear and he told me no, the parking break was sufficient to hold the car.

When the diagnostic tests had been completed and no fault found, the same guy then showed me the page in the handbook where it does state the car should be parked in first gear when using the parking button.

They will not pay for the damage to my bumper. Even when I pointed out that there service Manager was not aware that he car required to be parked in gear, do they really expect customers to read all the handbook. In 20 years of driving I have never read a car handbook.

There must be someone who can look into this issue....

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Keith Ambrose left an annotation ( 3 December 2010)

These are the contents of a letter I sent to VW which I did a bit if research for. It summarises my thoughts on all the things being discussed here. Feel free to repost this on the Facebook page (I cannot access that from my office!)

Dear John

Re: Passat Registration EJ07 YWY – Handbrake Failure (VW UK Case no: 63388)

Thank you for your letter dated 25th November 2008 regarding the failure of the handbrake on the above vehicle.

Time taken for response

I would like to express my disappointment in the extraordinary length of time that it has taken for you and the Volkswagen UK team to investigate and deal with this issue. In additional the total lack of contact and updates on the status of this issue from both LJ Sheppard and VW UK.

The incident occurred on 25th September 2008 and has taken over 2 months for you to send back a letter which, I feel, offers nothing and is totally unsatisfactory.

However, I do acknowledge that you have allowed us the use of a courtesy vehicle for this period and that as I have contacted VOSA you have had to take this matter to VW UK and the factory.

“No Fault” statement

With regard to your statement that you have found no fault with the vehicle handbrake system, this was exactly the response I had expected as this has occurred on a prior occasion and no fault was found. Whilst I appreciate that the handbrake system has no faults when tested in your service area there can be no dispute that a problem occurred on the 25th September and I would ask you to acknowledge in writing that this is the case, particularly when considering the following:-

• The vehicle was parked on a very slight gradient in Great Dunmow and the automatic handbrake button pressed. This engaged the handbrake and held the car in position as if it had not applied the car would have begun rolling as soon as the door was shut.

• The vehicle was left for approximately 15 minutes and upon returning to the car it had rolled backwards approximately 50 yards coming to rest between a lamp post and a brick wall.

• When the car was found in this position my wife immediately returned to the town centre and asked a member of the public, Mr XXXXXXX, to return to the car and witness the car being opened, confirm that the handbrake button was illuminated and watch the car being started and attempt to be move it without touching the handbrake button. The car would not move as the handbrake was engaged.

Cleary this indicates that the handbrake was “on”, then released some time after leaving the car, and then re-applied itself when the vehicle came to a stop.

The contact details of the witness were provided to your customer services team at VW UK and they contacted Kieran and verified the above events.

All of the above, we are sure you will agree, means that without any possible doubt the handbrake system “failed”, by that we mean it did not hold the car stationary on a very slight gradient. I must insist that you acknowledge these events in writing as being factual notwithstanding your comments regarding the Highway Code and the wording in your manual upon which I would comment as follows.

The Highway Code

Before commenting on the statements you have made about the Highway Code it is important that you understand the use of the terms “Must” and “Should” within this Code. Where the word “Must” is used, the instruction given is a legal requirement and a “law”. Where the word “should” is used, this is only an advisory statement and not a legal requirement.

Your letter refers to a statement made by VW UK, an extract of which reads:-

“It must be remembered that as stated in the Highway Code and the owner’s manual when parking on an incline the vehicle should be left in gear as well”.

Firstly, the Highway Code does indeed state that the vehicle “should” be left in gear but the important point to understand here is that this IS NOT a legal requirement and is only a recommendation when parking on a hill. It is also important to note here that the Highway Code states that when parking “YOU MUST apply the handbrake”. This “must” statement is therefore a legal requirement. (I have enclosed the extracts from the Highway Code for your ease of reference.)

The second point here is what constitutes a “hill”. I am not sure if this is defined specifically by the Highway Code nor any other motoring legislation but common sense tells the ordinary man in the street what constitutes a hill. The road in question is not by any means a hill and more significantly, nor is my driveway where this “problem” first occurred. Regardless of whether this was on a hill or not it is not a legal requirement to leave a car in gear when on a hill, only a recommendation. For this reason alone surely a handbrake on a car should do exactly what it is designed to do, hold the car stationary under all circumstances.

VW Passat Owners Manual

I refer to the previous statement in your letter regarding the wording of the Owner’s Manual. I believe that the fact that your handbook states that the car should be left in gear is flawed, as follows:-

• I have contacted the Department of Transport and spoken to Mandy Jackson in the Highway Code department and was advised that vehicle manufacturers cannot and should not be making statements that are not “in line” with the terms of the Highway Code. In this instance, VW should not and cannot state that drivers “must” leave the car in gear when this is not a “must” statement in the Highway Code.

This fact is, I believe, a matter of common sense. All drivers are taught to drive using all the instructions of the Highway Code. For this reason, drivers are not taught that a stationary car must always be left in gear, they are only taught that perhaps you “should”, not “must”, leave a car in gear when on a hill. If new drivers are not taught to always leave a car in gear how can it possibly be acceptable for manufacturers to say that you “must” in a handbook?

• Bearing in mind the severity of this “defect” (which could cause serious injury or death) and that you are insistent that the manual says to leave the car in gear, do you not think it would be a good idea to tell all customers that the car should be left in gear. I would also suggest that all customers should sign an acknowledgement of this fact to protect VW from all claims. I expect the reason that this is not the case is that this would affect sales. I myself would not buy a car where the manufacturer has very little faith in their handbrake systems actually working!

• Finally, the way the Manual is set out is very interesting and worthy of note. It does indeed state in Booklet 3.2, page 17, that when parking the car to “Engage the 1st gear ……”. It also states in large italic lettering at the top of this “Parking” section the following:-

“The parking brake is switched on to prevent the vehicle from accidentally rolling away.”

This is a fantastic statement to make and in my mind clearly indicates to me that your handbrake system should stop a car rolling away. It does not say “The parking brake and 1st gear ….. is to prevent the vehicle from rolling away”.

Also, within this section there are several text boxes with a warning sign and the word “WARNING” in large text. NONE OF THESE BOXES SAY ANYTHING ABOUT LEAVING THE CAR IN GEAR!. Bearing in mind the fact that the handbrake system does not do what it is intended to do and could in fact kill someone, surely leaving the car in gear is worthy of a “WARNING Text Box”. In addition to this, many of your other warning text boxes actually state “risk of accident” yet nothing about the fact that VW have very little faith in the automatic handbrake working.

Resolution

My wife, Claire, and I are not unreasonable people and we understand that you, LJ Sheppards are VW Dealers are not responsible for the fact that VW have produced a car with a potentially lethal defect. However, you are, along with VW UK Customer Services, our only point of contact.

In order to bring this matter to a close I am requesting that all damage to the car caused by the handbrake failure is to be repaired with no charge to myself. I do not see why I should be claiming on my insurance for damage caused by a defect on the car.

I am absolutely appalled that you have requested in your letter that we “advise us of your wishes by close of business Friday 28th November 2008”. Am I to understand that it is OK for you to take 2 months to deal with an issue, yet we get 2 days? That said, I have now complied with your wishes and am interested to see if you will comply with mine which is that;

VW (whether this is Sheppards or VW UK is not my concern) make good all damage and return our vehicle within 14 days, completely free of charge.

Finally, regardless of the outcome of this issue it is my intention to take this matter as far as possible as, being sensible members of the public, we cannot bear the thought of this instance reoccurring and causing serious injury or death. I have already heard from at least six other Passat Owners who have had a similar problem and I am copying this letter to these people also.

I look forward to hearing from you in due course.

Yours sincerely

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Cy Hesketh left an annotation ( 3 January 2011)

My 2006 Passat is sitting on the drive with the rear nearside caliper locked on. Is it simply a matter of replacing the EPB switch to fix it ?

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Michael Parker left an annotation ( 4 January 2011)

Cy - join the Facebook group for advice.

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Dave Browell left an annotation ( 6 January 2011)

Hi Cy
In response to you question, my '07 passat had exactly the same problem and the RAC man had to use a slave battery to the n/s rear caliper to motorise it to the off position so I could drive it the short distance to the garage.The caliper was not replaced although they advised it.The caliper has worked ok ever since
which is very little as I nolonger trust the 'plastic handbrake' system and leave it in gear.The switch may fix the problem as it indicates 'no volts' to that caliper but is cheaper to replace(£20ish)than tracing an intermittent wiring fault which could work out to be lots of hours.

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Dino Monticoli left an annotation ( 7 January 2011)

High my passatcc which was 4 weeks old just before xmas suddenly decided to run me over as i was clearing the boot out at home,as it was parked on a concrete slope which drops down sharper at the end i failed in my attempt to wrestle with it and had to watch it roll up my neighbours wall, i am slightly luckier than some as a works car i have instructed repairing garage i am not getting back in car till told breaking system certified ok..... I can predict result allready Dino Monticoli

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Simon Rees left an annotation (13 February 2011)

I bought an 'VW approved' '57 passat with 30,000miles 5 weeks ago. Yesterday I called at home briefly to collect my mail, leaving the car in my drive, running with the handbrake applied. Within 2 minutes I heard a crash only to find the car had rolled down a slope, travelled about 30yards and hit 2 vehicles causing a huge amount of damage. There must be a problem, we can't all have forgotten to put the brake on.

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Martin Bell left an annotation (14 February 2011)

Facebook group:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=grou...
61 members now!

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mark left an annotation ( 4 March 2011)

I bought a Passat yesterday to replace my ultra reliable SEAT Leon and I'm already regretting my foolish decision, I was totally unaware of this issue with the EPB until I got home and was not able to release it, then later on unable to engage it! having now checked online I see that this is a very common fault which VW refuse to acknowledge, I was always under the impression that VW were among one of the most reliable cars you could own but now I'm having serious doubts and its looking like I'm going to have to get rid of this car for something even cheaper............thanks VW!!!

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B G Nikolov left an annotation (22 March 2011)

My engine cut out while driving on the motorway and the EPB activated while the car was still travelling at over 60mph. VW took it in for tests and changed the switch, then denied anything was wrong. I am currently in litigation with them and seeking injuries compensation. They claim it is impossible for that to happen and I must have hit the brakes. Luckily I have the signed repot showing the new switch fitting, and three witnesses who managed to swerve around my stalled car in the middle of the M5.
Gina of Newbury

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Roger Aspden left an annotation ( 2 April 2011)

I bought a 2010 Passat 110 CR line a month ago. I went into the garage 2 weeks ago as the Auto Hold did no work all the time on my drive which has a slight slope. After a brief look I was told that there was sometimes a time delay before it worked. Today I parked in the drive and put the parking brake on. After getting things out of the boot, I walked towards my house. Only to find that the car was following me down the drive. I managed to jump out of the way before the car hit both front & side wall causing a massive amount of damage. I had no Idea that there are so many recorded problems with this car which is lethal. I don't think I have any confidence in the car now as I was so close to being crushed.

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Gary left an annotation (11 April 2011)

I have just gone through an issue with the EPB failing on my 2006 Highline Passat. Repair bill from main dealer £167. This has been intermittent for weeks so finally called out RAC and they got the car going by disconnecting the battery. This was only a temporary fix as I discovered when I got stuck again last Friday.
I will challenge the dealer when I collect later today.

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Jane Foote left an annotation (20 April 2011)

Hi all

My car is booked into the garage today with the fault with the hand brake. I have a VW Passat Estate. I thought I'd do some prior reading if was a 'known issue' It appears it is to customers but not acknowledged by VW.

I will update the outcome today but useful to go in armed with this info. Also, my car is lacking it's last service and the VW guy suggested my warranty may be invalid for this reason. Will be interesting to see how this goes. My warranty expires May. Would it be worth me, then base don the above, to purchase an extended one? If they find a fault, is the fix permanent? If they don't - could this rumble on for many months?

I am signing up to the face book now. Happy to get involved in any campaign.

Interesting to know what kind of proof Watchdog require to push this forward? Any idea's?

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D.Gilchrist left an annotation ( 8 May 2011)

Hi all Passat owners,

I am a VW Tiguan owner (2010 model) who is currently awaiting the return of my vehicle which has, surprise, a EPB failure fault. I was advised by the dealer, after their initial investigation 2 days ago, that the drive motor on the EPB system had a fault and required replacement. The dealer still has my car and I eagerly await a phone call regarding its return.

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J N Mackenzie left an annotation (24 May 2011)

J N Mackenzie24/05/11

It was very enlightening to see all the previous EPB problems. I am the owner of an 07 2.0Litre TDI. I have had problems with getting the brake to engage on the button. So I have been parking and using first gear.
It has become very bad in the last couple of weeks so it is time for a visit to the VW dealer.
Thanks to all of you for the information it should come in handy as the dealers in my experience are extremely slippery.

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Nigel left an annotation ( 6 August 2011)

06 SE FSI PASSAT. My EPB would not engage whilst stopped in a traffic jam on a hill towing a trailer, when it finally engaged, the EPB would not disengage, thus causing annoyance to other drivers. VW really need to sort this out

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Joe melling left an annotation ( 6 August 2011)

German Roulette: Ask a vw car salesman who denies knowledge of the faulty passat EPB this question: If he stalled on a railway crossing in a passat car with the parking brake on. which hand brake would he choose(the trains is racing toward you at speed) the old traditional lever type,or, the EPB? Hmmm

My 06 passat with 42k on clock has rolled off my driveway twice. The EPB regularly sticks on and I have to go trough a procedure of dis-connecting the battery and locking and onlocking the car to re-boot the system.

I won't go into the dangers/cost of the indemic diesel injector failure on this model (06 onward) look on-line if you dare!

This will be the last VW with EPB and dodgy injectors for me. However,to be fair to VW, check out other cars (there are many)with EPB problems.

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Martin Bell left an annotation (10 August 2011)

Facebook page is doing well with nearly 150 members now.
http://www.facebook.com/groups/172638656...
Seems it is not an isolated problem!

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Mahesh Mendis left an annotation (17 August 2011)

I am having my VW passat 57 plate SE 2.0 TDI 6spaeed mannual for year. FGew months ago i couldn't release the EPB. and now it happen two weekly basis. Thank you for all the info. I think I will be taking my car to dealer toi replace the EPB switch.

MMC

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Stephen Ward left an annotation (30 August 2011)

Stephen Ward 30/08/2011
I have recently bought a high mileage, ex reps, 56 plate passat 2.0 TDI estate. I have not had the problem that many on this forum are experiencing, However l am having problems with EPB with it not releasing automaticaly. The manual says that the brake will release when you apply gas and bring up clutch but this will not happen to my car when in reverse, on my drive and wanting to drive up the slope on to the road. Trying to find the bite with out any gas because your foot is on the brake while you press button, the car ends up rolling towards the house. The brake does not always release automatically when in traffic situations causing other drivers iritation as l struggle to release, only having to do it manually and end up stalling it.

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David S. left an annotation (31 August 2011)

Ref. Stephen Ward comment : it may be interesting to check the car's history with a VW dealer. I have been told by a VW dealer that a lot of the EPB problems occured in the warranty period.

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Jaz left an annotation (15 September 2011)

My 57 plate Passat SEL 6spd 170BHP developed a similar handbrake engage/disengage issue. I was quoted £130 for a new handbrake switch from the Verve (VW dealer). I asked if there was any generosity given that it was a known VW fault. No joy.

I purchased a new switch on a well known auction site for £22 and fitted it myself. It took me 4 minutes armed only with a screwdriver. So unhappy with VW on this.

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Colin Pestell left an annotation (27 September 2011)

Mr C Pestell
I have had this problem with my 06 plate 1-9 td model twice in the last fortnight.The problem has been failure to release. My car shows a epb problem on the dash,but not on a full diagnostic programme.Perhaps VOSA and VW are waiting for death or serious injury before aknowledging there is a fault.I can understand VW not wanting to aknowledge this fault, But VOSA as a public body are an absolute disgrace.Also BBC Watchdog have not shown to be much better.

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Colin left an annotation (28 September 2011)

I can't believe VW is getting away with this. I have been suffering an EPB issue, though luckily it is not with disengage or indeed more worryingly a random disengage. For me it is a failure to engage after EVERY journey. Initially it was a random fault - come to the end of a journey and attempt to apply the EPB... "ping" and an error message on the MFD. I found that repeatedly pressing the button would suddenly make it work.

Now it is failing to engage after every single journey. I have found the solution is to sit in the car for approximately 30 seconds after the ignition has been switched off and the error has occurred. After pressing the button the EPB engages and the fault clears! Not practical sometimes when you are in a rush!

Looks like I will be buying myself a switch and fitting it, I'm reasonably practical and refuse to pay the extortionate labour fees charged by main dealers! Is there an online guide to doing this?

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Colin left an annotation (28 September 2011)

Forgot to mention I have an 07 plate Passat SEL 2.0 TDI 170.

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C E Cooke left an annotation (18 October 2011)

I have a 06 plate Passat 2.0TDi Estate.
Nearside parking break locked on last week. RAC could not repair so they removed the motor.
Now in the local VW dealer who is asking £369.38 for a new motor and £126.65 for a new EPB switch.
Reading that a few of you above also got switches but quote only £20 I wanted to know if this included labour?

On a separte note they say that my Offside CV boot is going! I had the Nearside done a couple of years back. Should these really only last 4 or 5 years?

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Jaz left an annotation (19 October 2011)

The £22 is for the parking brake switch only (online). However, as for labour, it literally took me 4 minutes to replace. Opening the fuse box cover allows you to push the switch out from behind. Then it's literally a multiplug switchover and push new switch back on. The multiplug has a spring loaded lock that needs a wee bit of pressure. Certainly not £100 worth of labour. VW did say that a software update is also required. My car has been fine without it. All my troubles disappeared after new switch fitted.

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Clive left an annotation (19 October 2011)

Clive Bond
EPB problem on my 55plate TDI sport estate.Now in garage after wouldn't release last sat. disconnected battery and worked ok to get to garage. left it with them only to find out later it took them an hour to release brake to get it into the workshop. they have tried replacement switch but this still hasn't solved the problem. (still waiting)

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A NOLAN left an annotation (27 October 2011)

A NOLAN
'07 VW PASSAT 1.9TDI.

Brake failed to disengaged yesterday , fault on dash
(bring to garage).Left for one hour and returned to find that it now works perfectly.This is obviously the start of it acting up.If it happens again i will order and replace the switch to see if it solves issue.
Not good enough VW should be a recall.

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Conail Mc Brearty left an annotation ( 1 November 2011)

I have for the past 3 months been having the same problems with my Brake on a 57 plate Passat TDI, it will sometimes work and other time the warning comes up on the dash. it Recently stayed on and would not come off. I turned everything off and left it for a couple of minutes and luckily the brake came off. I am putting it into a local VW garage on the 3rd November 2011 for them to have a look at it. Let us hope that VW recognise it as a design problem before someone gets seriously injured !!

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Nigel left an annotation ( 2 November 2011)

Hello,

Passat 2.0 FSI (06) complete EPB failure, will now not engage after months of intermitent problems. The light on the switch is permantly on indicating that the brake should be engaged but it is not, i am afraid to drive my car just in case the EPB engages.

I have ordered a new switch (ref Jaz post)we will see if this is the remedy, if not its the dealer.

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Jeremy Horton left an annotation ( 4 November 2011)

Useful information on how to perform a "terminal 30 reset of EPB control module."

2008 Volkswagon Group of America Technical Bulletin

After Installing a New Parking Brake Switch, Electronic Parking Brake, Does Not Respond, Warning Light On

http://nateronline.com/Technical_Bulleti...

JKH

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Margaret P. left an annotation ( 4 November 2011)

MARGARET P

4th November 2011

My VW Passat Estate 08 rolled into car in outdoor car park on 31st October this year. Similarly to others thought that I was going mad. I always switch off engine - engage brake and spend few minutes trying to find black i phone in black interior, find handbag in passenger footwell, take seatbelt off, engage EPB AGAIN to be sure, get out of car and check that brake is on AGAIN before locking car. Always walk away and double check that have bleeped at car to lock.

Later the same day car refused to start for the first time.. happened several times. Very stressful. Car went to recommended diagnostic garage. Electrics playing up. Have incurred £233 bill. Now has to go to VW dealer when I collect it TO BE FURTHER DIAGNOSED.
Just come back from Cornwall and whilst away commented to friend that car seemed to have moved several feet one day.

VW will charge me £102 to conduct this check at and then whatever costs to put right. Have only found out about this page today. Totally shocked but thank goodness no one injured so far.

Extremely disturbed by report of driver whose EPB engaged whilst driving on motorway.

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Colin left an annotation ( 5 November 2011)

This Technical Bulletin from VW USA would seem to be an admission that there is an issue with earlier models and the EPB switch!

http://nateronline.com/Technical_Bulleti...

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Richard left an annotation ( 8 November 2011)

My 09 reg Passat, after a few fault indications is now refusing to release the EPB without repeated re-tries. It has also released the brake on its own a couple of times but has been caught in the act on a very gentle slope and has been stopped. Thought I was going crazy, but maybe not.

I always leave it in gear, but this is totally unsatisfactory.

Richard

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Carl Rutter left an annotation ( 8 November 2011)

Passat 57 plate TDI sport,

Recently over the last two weeks begun getting intermittent problem with EPB. sometimes press button and it works, sometimes it instantly makes a ding noise and says refer to manual. I have to pull key in and out until it finally applies or disengages.

Have looked briefly online to be bombarded with websites and people saying how their EPB in passats are going wrong. Literally hundreds of people. Seems bad that VW are not seeing to the problem. Has made me wonder wether to buy VW again!

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Mervyn Fermer left an annotation (22 November 2011)

My 08 plate Passat 2.0TDi Sport has just had total failure of the epb. Fortunately I was within a couple of hundred yards of a small garage who collected the car and have fitted a new switch. They told me this is a common problem. Have had car from new but now feel I cannot trust the epb system. VW need to issue recall, as apart from this problem I would have replaced vehicle with another Passat next year.

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Nigel left an annotation (24 November 2011)

Put my car into VW Dealership after EPB Failure. Now working after diagnostic and software update. Cost £72

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Throstur Vidisson left an annotation (27 November 2011)

My name is Throstur Vidisson and I live in Reykjavik,Iceland. I own a 2005 Passat with 110.000 kilometres on the clock. Yesterday the EPB lights started to flash and a warning beep started to sound constantly. The only way to stop the blinking and beeping was to stop the car and kill the engine. I went to the local dealer this morning (in fact the only VW dealer in Iceland) to have the fault analysed. When I described the fault to the Service Manager, and BEFORE he even saw the car, he told me that it was probably a broken down EPB motor. I asked him how much it would cost, and he told me that it would probably cost 100.000 thousand Icelandic kronur. He also told me that it was likely that both of them were broken down. If this was the case, the repair would cost me 250.000 Icelandic kronur with the work included! As it turned out the brake pads were gone south as a result of the burnt out motors, so the final sum I will had to pay was 306.000 Icelandic kronur! This equals 1.650 British Pounds, 1.915 EUR or 2.580 USD. Now, my question is this: How did the Service Manager know right away that both the motors were cracked? The obvious answer is that this is a common failure of a very expensive component. In my case this happens on a car with one owner and only 110.000 on the clock. This an obvious flaw in my opinion and VW should admit it before they lose a lot of customers, including me!

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ch left an annotation ( 5 December 2011)

2011 1.6 TDI Passat, Parked on drive (very slight incline), knock on door 5mins later to see it halfway down road in neighbours wall! Gone to a 'Drive' garage who have since said there is no Fault. Could really of hurt someone. How can there not be a recall?!

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Raj left an annotation (28 December 2011)

I have a Passat 56 plate. The brake fail intermitentley to engage and disengage. The local VW garage refuses to admit that it is a common problem and want to charge £49.50 for a diagnosis before saying what could be the problem. What a rip-off. Never buy VW car again!

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Chris left an annotation (30 December 2011)

Bought a Passat CC 3 months ago on a 08 plate. Starting to have problems with the EPB not engaging, have not had it 'stuck on' yet. Emailed my local dealership and VW UK 3 days ago, still awaiting response......

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Rachel Wilson left an annotation ( 6 January 2012)

I have a 2010 passat estate,I parked up at a local garage, Went inside to pay and when I returned to where I had parked the car it had gone!! 20 yards or so into a wall. Was told by my local vw dealership it was driver error and that I had removed the electronic key before removing seat belt. Repairs £1000, have totally lost confidence in the car. I have had no problems since but feel that I still donot really understand what happened and it is going to happen again

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Morrison McEwen left an annotation (20 January 2012)

Morrison McEwen
I have a Passat estate tdi sport april 07
1st epb motor nside replaced @ 37365 miles 13/7/11
2nd epb motor oside replaced @ 41399 miles 5/1/12
£703 total price, VW say just wear & tear not a problem
dealer sending a cheque for 10% as a goodwill gesture
big deal !!!!
obviously dont value my custom !!!

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Gary Devine left an annotation (29 January 2012)

As a member of the Facebook group about this very topic, I think everyone who visits this page should sign up. We can take it forward from there.

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G Mcsweeney left an annotation ( 9 February 2012)

Have on 07 passat 2.0 TDI.
Had parking switch replaced and update on October 2011.
Was advised that the caliber housing was cracked.
4 weeks later the EPB wouldn't disengage. Tried unplugging battery etc but it wouldn't shift. A mechanic friend of mine released the brake and had a good look. He couldn't find any cracks with the housing and he swapped the left and right motors around and found that both work fine. He tried a new control unit to no avail. Took it back into VW who charged me £70 to look at it to then tell me that it is a cracked housing and water is probably getting in.
I said someone has looked at it and insists that there was no crack. They also cant say for sure that the cracked housing is the problem.
They want £515 for new motor that i know is ok!!

Has anyone else been told it was a cracked housing?

G

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Graham Tait left an annotation (23 February 2012)

06 Reg Passat B6 2.0 TDi - both rear brake calipers failed in the space of 6 months at just 75,000 miles. Both times requiring RAC / AA to drag the car onto tow
truck with an expensive bill to follow! Breakdown chap just laughed when I mentioned Passat and EPB in same sentance - If this is not a manufacturer issue then what is..?

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Chris left an annotation (29 February 2012)

Update. VW Passat CC 08 plate. VW garage fitted new switch in Jan. Had no problems so far touch wood. If the problem re occurs I'll post here. Chris.

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Howard Simpson (Account suspended) left an annotation (29 February 2012)

Hi I have a 07 passat and had trouble disengaging the handbrake just after the waranty expired. I am a mechanical enginer so I investigated myself and discovered that the drivers side handbrake motor was faulty. The housing had cracked allowing water into the motor. I replaced that unit with one from a breaker. However two weeks ago the other side failed to release properly when I was on my way to the airport! Managed to get it to release and will investigate when I get back. However this was the first time in a long time the car had been parked overnight outside in a hard frost. I wonder if water has got in and frozen?

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Howard Simpson (Account suspended) left an annotation (29 February 2012)

I took the parking brake motor off tonight and discovered that it was cracked and had water inside it!
Carefull examination revealed they are made by TRW. www.trwaftermarket.com/en/News/Electric-...

Their website states about this particular brake caliper "So, what can be done to increase service life?

Regular checks - in winter, dirt and salt collects on brake calipers. This leaves the pads touching the discs, resulting in high temperatures that place unnecessary strain on the brake caliper. This heat is also transferred to the drive mechanism in the EPB, which can dramatically reduce its service life."

So they are aware of the limited life!

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Tony Stead left an annotation (13 March 2012)

Tony Stead 13 march 2012
06 Passat 20 tdi estate : have being having problems with the EPB for a number of years now, sometimes it will disegage automatically on starting off other times not.
Then in Jan 2010 parking brake warning light would come on while driving followed by engine management warning light resulting in a loss of power,sometimes by stopping and removing the key for a few minutes, lights reset and off you go, until a few miles further on, it happens again, other times it will not reset and you are stuck with the loss of power.
Its had the battery disconnected, been to more garages and on more computers than i care to remember. The last time it went to a main dealer was quoted at £69 for diagnostics, was in the garage for 3 days then was told the ECU was faulty and needed replacing at a cost of £1400 plus fitting. Decided not worth spending the money as they could not guarantee this would solve the problem ( thought they were the experts ). when i picked up the car was charged £279 for additional work still dont know for what.
Problems disappeared for 9 months but now problems have come back, but luckily its not rolled off on its own. all the best with your fight and lets hope nobody gets hurt before they recognise they have a problem.

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Nick Baker left an annotation (27 March 2012)

My 56 Passat 2.0TDI has not (thankfully) rolled away on its own so far but I have been having increasingly frequent problems with the brake failing to engage or disengage. Found out this evening (and after advice from Martin at vwaudiforum.co.uk - very helpful) that the drivers side EPB motor is broken. VW wanted £220 for a new one or almost £500 fitted. Ridiculous. Apparently only £20 less than a complete caliper assembly when you'd have to bleed the brakes etc as well. I now know having done it myself that fitting a new EPB motor only takes 30 minutes. Motor housing is plastic and will crack under the strain of normal use. Once water gets in its only a matter of time until it gives up. With mine a symptom was increasingly noisy EPB operation before it failed. To get the car moving if it is seized on you remove the motor on the side that is stuck and back off the exposed spindle one full turn. This will release the brake. Re-fit the motor so you can drive the car but don't use the EPB until you can get a new motor fitted. VW have a serious problem with the TRW plastic motor housing. I have not (to my knowledge) had any problems with the button.
Now going to join the facebook group.

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Mark Young left an annotation (29 March 2012)

Hi,
Had the same issue on my Passat 06 estate - left hand side caliper seized a couple of months ago. I had the brake management module, switch and nearside caliper replaced - came to around £800 - £800 for a handbrake - whats wrong with a cable and ratchet!?. Anyhoo, just went to go to pull out of my drive for work this morning and same fault - presume its now the offside caliper this time. Very worrying as I have two young children and this could have happened anywhere with them in the car.
Mark

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RichardP left an annotation ( 9 April 2012)

My 55 Passat tdi estate wouldn't release the EPB yesterday morning and gave the parking brake failure symbol & beeping tone. After trying the battery disconnect I was no furthers forwards. I could hear one of the motors operating and also noticed the car "sit down" on the left side. We have a gravel drive so I tried pulling off to confirm the drivers side brake was stuck on.

I rang my local dealer & spoke to a service technician who was very helpful. He told me to check the voltage on my battery which was ok. He then said carefully chock the car so it won't roll away then jack up the car, remove the wheel. The motor comes off with two torx 30 bolts, then you can wind in the hand brake piston with a torx40. It was easy. Now at least I'm mobile and have ordered a replacement motor & calliper from Murray's Direct for 144+vat which I'm happy with.

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GaryB left an annotation (11 April 2012)

57 Passat 2.0 se diesel, same problem started about 6 months ago and has continued to get worse. The other day I parked on my drive and the brake would not come on after pressing the switch loads of times, it finally lit up and i started to get out of my car when it started to role down the drive and crashed into the garage door. Luckly my young son saw the car coming and managed to dive out of its way. How long will VW have to wait to recall these cars for the new EPB update on the new models before someone gets killed. SHAME ON YOU VW !!!

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Jim Paton left an annotation (19 April 2012)

Passat 2.0 sport on a 55 plate. Had the car since new and it has only covered 13000 miles. Now appear to have the dreaded hand brake proble. Started with the cheap option of changing the switch to no avail. Appears that the rear left motor is at fault, quoted around £500 from dealer and around £275 at independant, is it better getting both sides done at once? Just another fault in the very long list I have now had with this car. Come on VW enough is enough, admit there is a fault.

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G C King left an annotation ( 2 May 2012)

To all disappointed VW Passat owners with the EPB system. Today I have the dubious honour of joining your ranks.

I changed the battery in my ‘56’ plate Passat 1.9 Se TDI last week although attempts were made to maintain the supply it was lost. Having said that I experienced no problems on the day. The next time I used the car I got the warning lights flashing and a continuous series of alarm beeps as I drove. Unfortunately I needed the car for a long trip and did not have time to investigate it myself so, warily, I called the local dealer which is advertised as VW. Having put the car in I was told that it was the offside parking brake motor that was defective and that it would be £500 for the repair. At the same time they recommended that both sides should be changed - to be on the safe side ($$Ker-ching$$). I declined their kind offer but gave them the go ahead to change the motor but asked for the defective part to be given to me when I collected the car. To the credit of the garage they completed the job in good time. When I collected the car I was presented with my bill and a surcharge of £30 had been added and re-credited. When I asked what that was all about I was told that it is effectively a deposit for the old motor as it had to be returned to the supplier. When questioned further the assistant said that she had forgotten that I had asked for the part and it had already been returned. This is pretty efficient as I collected the car less than an hour after the job was complete. I had a chat with the mechanic and he told me that he had seen ‘hundreds’ of similar problems, even allowing for exaggeration, I got the impression that too many cars were having faults with the EPB. Strangely he was able to go into the workshop and bring out another defective calliper, when I enquired as to why he had this one his response was that it was a VW part. The one that came off my car ought to have been a VW part as it hadn’t been changed before so I didn’t understand the difference so it would appear that they have not fitted a genuine VW part. Why would a VW garage not fit a genuine part I hear you cry. Well it turns out that the local VW garage is not a VW garage. It seems to me that anyone connected with VW are very reluctant to let you even see a defective part.

Incidentally I got hold of the diagnostic report which threw up 3 error codes:

1. 02433 - Supply voltage sporadic for right parking brake motor – V283.

2. 02429 - Right parking power brake motor supply V283, clamping force not reached.

3. 02431- Left parking position brake motor late not V283, resistance reached to movement.

The faults were reset and then the diagnostic check was repeated which came up with 02433 again.

My interpretation of these results would be: have a look at the electrical connections.

Fortunately I have not experienced any of the real failures of the system where the car rolls away or locks up and cannot be moved. In my opinion there is a safety concern and the affected vehicles should be subject to a recall. If this is a genuine fault the affected vehicles should be recalled before someone is killed or seriously injured.

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Mark Sendal left an annotation ( 6 May 2012)

Hi to all of the above. I am also joining you with an EPB problem. I have a 2006 2.0tdi sport estate with manual gearbox. I had heard before I bought the car that these EPBs

1,513 posts

267 months

Wednesday 27th December 2017

Is there enough evidence there to prove a manufacturing defect? probably not, 20-30 comments from 100,000 plus cars sold. That's not a huge failure rate. That thread has posts from seven years ago, is the ops car seven years old or newer, at seven years old wear and tear has a part to play.

The epb is also a typically over complicated solution to something that worked well before. Main reason for manufacturers to include is they can add options like hill hold, etc at extra cost to consumers for minimal extra cost to them. It also frees up vital interior space for exciting things like cup holders and phone charge points that are used to differentiate cars. It's not a safety feature despite being marketed as such.

Bottom line is op had a car that he thought had a dodgy handbrake as it had acted up in the period previous to the incident, he relied solely on that and it didn't hold the car. I.e. He had a suspected fault and took no action to mitigate the risk.

Faults with braking systems are life important ones, so should be fixed, but also cars should never be left reliant on a handbrake only. That's not a manufacturing defect, it's a user error.
By all means try to sue vw but I know the likely outcome.

Blakewater

4,311 posts

158 months

Wednesday 27th December 2017

My Audi A3's manual says that when you park you should manually press/pull the parking brake lever then, if the car is automatic, put it in P and, if it's manual, put it in gear.

If the car is automatic and you open the driver's door without the transmission lever in P or N the parking brake will apply automatically.

The hill hold function is for stopping the car rolling back on hills and not for parking.

32,038 posts

179 months

Wednesday 27th December 2017

Blakewater said:

My Audi A3's manual says that when you park you should manually press/pull the parking brake lever then, if the car is automatic, put it in P and, if it's manual, put it in gear.

Do many car manuals say to leave it in gear?
Isnt the worry with it that the other half / mechanic gets in the car starts it and it takes off into the car in front?

1,513 posts

267 months

Wednesday 27th December 2017

saaby93 said:

Blakewater said:

My Audi A3's manual says that when you park you should manually press/pull the parking brake lever then, if the car is automatic, put it in P and, if it's manual, put it in gear.

Do many car manuals say to leave it in gear?
Isnt the worry with it that the other half / mechanic gets in the car starts it and it takes off into the car in front?

Well the dvsa guidance is to park in gear

See hill parking

https://www.safedrivingforlife.info/drivers-and-ri...

AgentZ

273 posts

129 months

Wednesday 27th December 2017

saaby93 said:

Blakewater said:

My Audi A3's manual says that when you park you should manually press/pull the parking brake lever then, if the car is automatic, put it in P and, if it's manual, put it in gear.

Do many car manuals say to leave it in gear?
Isnt the worry with it that the other half / mechanic gets in the car starts it and it takes off into the car in front?

My Mii manual (so also VAG) advises to leave in gear and turn wheel toward curb/centre of road and doesn't caution about being careful to take it out of gear when starting back up.

Saying that most all cars now have start/stop and think all these require the clutch and/or brake to be depressed before starting is allowed?

1,513 posts

267 months

Wednesday 27th December 2017

AgentZ said:

I believe that is correct, does the manual tell you to have the clutch depressed when starting the car? If so then they don't really need an additional warning

AgentZ

273 posts

129 months

Wednesday 27th December 2017

SMB said:

I believe that is correct, does the manual tell you to have the clutch depressed when starting the car? If so then they don't really need an additional warning

Yes it does (under 'Starting the engine'). What I said in my previous post is under 'Parking'.

paralla

3,536 posts

136 months

Wednesday 27th December 2017

I drove my DSG Golf R Estate 300 miles today and paid particular notice of how the auto hold and park brake work.

I always leave auto hold turned on, when I come to a stop the brake light on the dashboard comes on and is green, nothing makes a noise and you don’t feel anything through the brake pedal, the system uses the ABS pump to keep all four brakes applied via hydraulic pressure, the car doesn’t move until I press the accelerator, I’ve never got out of the car like this so don’t know what happens if left for some time. I don’t consider the park brake to be on.

When I pull the park brake switch you can hear the electric motor apply the park brake, feel it through the pedal as it does so, the light on the switch comes on and the dash light changes from green to red.

jarvisd

1 posts

69 months

Thursday 23rd August 2018

On Monday 20 August 2018, I drove my daughter's VW Golf TDI to collect my granddaughter from nursery school.
As I started the engine, and put the car into reverse, as I was reversing out of their driveway which was on a very slight incline, the car rolled forward.
I looked for the handbrake which was off, and saw the "auto hold" light was on, so I pushed the auto hold button, thinking that may prevent it from rolling. I inadvertently turned “auto hold” off, not knowing what it was. I have never seen an "auto hold" button before.

When I got to my granddaughter's nursery school, I got out, locked the car, and went inside. 5 minutes later, I came out to find that the car had rolled across the nursery school’s parking into another car.

Luckily the damage on both vehicles was minor, but I shudder to think that there may have been a child in the way.

I usually drive an automatic car, and one is unable to take the keys out of an automatic car, without one putting the car in "Park".

Auto Hold is a great feature, but it should be permanently activated, UNLESS one is to tow or push the car, in RARE circumstances.

Therefore the button to deactivate Auto Hold should be hidden (under the dash, or somewhere that Little Jonny, or an ignoramus like me CANNOT switch it off, and cause similar or worse (fatal) accidents in the future.
Auto hold: A safety feature which, in this case backfired, and therefore a RE-DESIGN is strongly recommended.
I hope that my experience may cause VW to redesign this feature, and so prevent future public catastrophes.

32,038 posts

179 months