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Nissan Primera P12 handbrake Warning

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norbert eggcup View Drop Down
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Swiss Tony

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote norbert eggcup Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Apr 2011 at 9:45pm
Originally posted by skodaboy skodaboy wrote:

Vauxhall Vectra has a warning about this in its handbook.


no vectras have drums for handbrake- its the ratchet slipping on vauxhalls
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ernehale View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ernehale Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Apr 2011 at 1:07pm
Originally posted by norbert eggcup norbert eggcup wrote:

Originally posted by skodaboy skodaboy wrote:

Vauxhall Vectra has a warning about this in its handbook.


no vectras have drums for handbrake- its the ratchet slipping on vauxhalls
 
l don't think skodaboy was saying that Vectra's have drums, his post was just that Vauxhall have warned about vehicle rolling off with and after the handbrake applied.
 
The Citroen Xantia recall solution was crude but reasonably effective, grind off the first 3 ratchet teeth!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote norbert eggcup Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Apr 2011 at 10:52pm
Originally posted by norbert eggcup norbert eggcup wrote:

Originally posted by skodaboy skodaboy wrote:

Vauxhall Vectra has a warning about this in its handbook.


vectras dont use the rear discs for the handbrake- they have drums for handbrake- its the ratchet slipping on vauxhalls


edited to explain what i said
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ScottM Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Nov 2016 at 9:00am
I had a potentially horrific ordeal about 3 years ago. my wife parked the car on a slope. We came back 10 minutes later to see the car rolling away down the hill. It narrowly avoided kids on bikes and a number of vehicles and a driver who was standing next to his van. The vehicle eventually came to a halt when running into a low wall after reaching about 15-20 mph for a short period. I know because i was chasing it. We at first thought that the hand brake might not have been fully engaged but when checking it was as fully engaged as it could be. It cost a fortune to repair the damage. I asked 2 garages to check it out but they could find no problems. About a couple of weeks later I was collecting a colleague from his home at the top of a very steep hill. I parked and went to get him at his home. It took a few minutes for him to answer his door and then when I got back to the car I could hear it creaking. it started to move.  I was so lucky that I managed to get into the car after it had rolled only a couple of feet. This, if not the case, could undoubtedly ended up with someone dead or badly injured. The road was about half a mile long and very steep. I asked a local garage to check it and asked them to take it for a test run and park on a steep hill. They were very cynical but after the test the mechanic looked shocked and confirmed that after a few minutes with the handbrake fully engaged, the vehicle started to roll. I subsequently contacted the Nissan Dealer. Initially I was met with a denial of any problem, but later received a call from a long term Nissan mechanic who confirmed that there had been a warning about Primera's issued in 2004/2005 that had "dodgy" calipers and he recommended they were replaced. He wasn't able to officially admit any fault but was aware of this happening to similar vehicles before. I have subsequently seen similar reports for these vehicles and even a newspaper report about the same type which ended up rolling into a lake. The unfortunate driver was blamed claiming that they must of not engaged the handbrake properly. Since having the calipers replace, thank goodness I have a had no further problems. Obviously I also leave the car in gear or try to avoid hills when parking. I can not emphasise enough how serious this issue could be. Someone could have been killed and one of my wife or me could have ended up in jail. As it is my insurance claim to repair the damage resulted in a Blame on my wife, although it is certainly not her fault. Be warned. I would be interested to hear of any similar experiences as the next incident might be deadly. 
ScottM
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RS Tom-Hundred Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Nov 2016 at 10:44am
Blimey!  That is very worrying to hear that! Shocked

Who is going to be the first to suggest that the calipers on 2004/2005 P12 Primeras are possibly Renault units?? Whoops, I guess that was me then! LOL  Although we all know that the rear calipers on all Primeras can be a bit useless at time (although luckily they often stick on rather than come off)

Thanks for the post - hopefully make people wary of the handbrake and make sure they use other means like putting it in gear too as a backup! Thumbs Up

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote d60_tag Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Nov 2016 at 11:09pm
Yes, always put in 1st gear when parking and sometimes if is possible(when facing downhill) to angle the front wheels so they turn into and butt up against the curb which will hopefully stop any rolling/ movement should it occur.
Another sensible idea is to OFTEN test the handbrake for efficiency by actually trying to replicate the fault(moving/rolling) on a hill (whilst sitting in the car) and maybe get a friend to give the car a shove from behind and see if you can get it to move or make the brakes creak etc.

If in any doubt then get it inspected immediately or get it periodically anyway- I often make sure I test the H-brake on very steep hills to see how it and have a good idea how it is performing. Also if unsure then get the brakes tested on a brake test machine- think many garages/ MOT places offer these tests cheaply and are invaluable really to see how your brakes are performing- both for H-brake and wheel brakes. Sometimes the machine can tell you stuff/ reveal problems that you wouldn't know/ like all round balance and actual efficiency(as a numerical figure rather than just a feel!)

It surprises me sometimes how little attention some people often give their braking systems- from lack of servicing to checking and understanding how they should work also.
Nothing like having your brakes working optimum opposed to badly- could save your life or others at the end of the day!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote d60_tag Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Nov 2016 at 11:20pm
Another thing, often not true- sometimes people can think that the brake is not performing so good because you simply are not pulling it hard enough, so they yank it as hard as they can, then abit harder still- probably totally overloading and stressing the system and possibly stretching the handbrake cable or snapping it worse still!

If you have to really pull the cable really tight, overly so- then it is often or more than likely faulty and should be inspected again without hesitation.

Really the brake test machines are invaluable to tell how efficient your braking system is.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote patstonuk Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Feb 2019 at 9:00pm
Late in the day for this thread I know, but my 2.0 P12 went in for its MOT and annual (low mileage) service a couple of days ago. 2003 registered and just 87000 on the clock. The only symptom of a brake issue was the creaking of the rear brakes when using the handbrake without yanking up the lever, and thinking back a bit of an issue with slightly squeaky and binding rear brakes after rear pad/disc attention a few years ago. 
It transpired that the brake balance was way out - despite this not having been picked up on previous services and MOTs. Front o/s caliper needed replacing and both rear calipers (single-acting) were not free enough to engage the pads properly. There was no discernible degradation of braking efficiency in daily driving, and it was explained to me that 'in extremis' the brakes would perform quite satisfactorily but not as efficiently as they should unless going hard on the pedal.
Good to find an independent garage clued-up enough to pick all that up.
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