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- Aug 23, 2020
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When we were shopping for our 2019 Forester, I observed this new features: an electronic parking brake. I asked how it works if the battery is dead, and pointed out that something like this--a lock on the wheels that exists solely for safety's sake--ought to be purely mechanical. I can't remember what they told me, but it must have good enough, and/or I assumed that this was all worked out by people who know better than me.
Well, the other day, my wife left the inside light on, and when I tried to move her car to get mine out and go to work the next morning, I found her battery almost completely dead. It was in a weird state, with panel lights flashing like crazy, beeps and ding sounds, etc. What was odd is I couldn't get it into neutral so I could push it out. Somehow, turning the key and pushing the pedals or whatever else I thought it wanted, I managed to get it into neutral and push it out. When I pushed it back in (so it wouldn't block the common driveway of our parking lot), naturally I tried to put it in park and/or set the parking brake, but I could do neither! I had to leave it there, prone to roll away! I'd have jumped it with my other car, but it's an Impreza, and I didn't think its battery was up to jumping the Forester.
I found out later the shifter has some controls designed to prevent you from putting it in park or neutral when it thinks you shouldn't. Some of its decision-making even involves a timer! I don't know why. To bypass this, you can get a screwdriver, pop off a small cover to a hole, then push a button inside that hole and hold it while you shift to the desired gear.
It's dumb enough I need to keep tools on hand to operate my vehicle, but the parking brake doesn't seem to have a manual workaround at all. How is this acceptable? Is it even legal? I suppose I could keep wheel chocks in the car, but, really, is this an improvement? I'm thinking of demanding the dealer install a manual brake, at Subaru's expense, given that, the way it is currently, it's patently unsafe. I mean, what if somehow the battery dies while I'm in the car on a hill, and I can't shift it into park or set the e-brake? What am I supposed to do? Hold the brake pedal while I call 911?
And I just saw a post from someone else on here, saying his car decided to set the electronic parking brake while he was driving!
I'm interested in anyone's thoughts.
Well, the other day, my wife left the inside light on, and when I tried to move her car to get mine out and go to work the next morning, I found her battery almost completely dead. It was in a weird state, with panel lights flashing like crazy, beeps and ding sounds, etc. What was odd is I couldn't get it into neutral so I could push it out. Somehow, turning the key and pushing the pedals or whatever else I thought it wanted, I managed to get it into neutral and push it out. When I pushed it back in (so it wouldn't block the common driveway of our parking lot), naturally I tried to put it in park and/or set the parking brake, but I could do neither! I had to leave it there, prone to roll away! I'd have jumped it with my other car, but it's an Impreza, and I didn't think its battery was up to jumping the Forester.
I found out later the shifter has some controls designed to prevent you from putting it in park or neutral when it thinks you shouldn't. Some of its decision-making even involves a timer! I don't know why. To bypass this, you can get a screwdriver, pop off a small cover to a hole, then push a button inside that hole and hold it while you shift to the desired gear.
It's dumb enough I need to keep tools on hand to operate my vehicle, but the parking brake doesn't seem to have a manual workaround at all. How is this acceptable? Is it even legal? I suppose I could keep wheel chocks in the car, but, really, is this an improvement? I'm thinking of demanding the dealer install a manual brake, at Subaru's expense, given that, the way it is currently, it's patently unsafe. I mean, what if somehow the battery dies while I'm in the car on a hill, and I can't shift it into park or set the e-brake? What am I supposed to do? Hold the brake pedal while I call 911?
And I just saw a post from someone else on here, saying his car decided to set the electronic parking brake while he was driving!
I'm interested in anyone's thoughts.