Basic Car Care & Maintenance : How to Check the Car Emergency Brake

Check a car's emergency brake by letting the car roll with your foot off the brake and pulling up on the e-brake; learn how from our expert mechanic in this free car-maintenance video.

Expert: Jeff Wong
Bio: Jeff Wong has a masters degree in Mechanical Engineering. He has owned & operated an aftermarket automotive parts business for five years. He has been working on automobiles for 17 years.
Filmmaker: Joshua Kidwell

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• repair
• cars
• maintenance
• fluids
• tire
• auto
• automotive
• automobile
• vehicle
• trucks

[rimjay]

two people may call the same item by a different name. welcome to the 21st century.

[cikaris]

The primary puropose of that brake is to park the car. Hence the proper term for it is 'parking brake.' Some parking brakes are engaged by a hand lever. Some are engaged by a foot pedal. Now if you call a parking brake engaged by hand a 'hand brake' what do you call the type operated by foot? A foot brake? Of course not! Because people understand by 'foot brake' the pedal next to the accelerator pedal. So what is a brake that is DESIGNED FOR PARKING properly called? A PARKING BRAKE! O.K.

[SuicidalLooney]

There is a safer way test this in a front wheel drive or a rear wheel drive car, no need to test your brakes on a hill with the car rolling down backwards... simply engage the parking/hand brake, put the car in first gear and try to drive off, obviously if the car is moving with little brute force from the engine your brakes need to be looked at. this method is safe and gives you an idea of how well your parking brakes are holding

[Jeff976cal]

Jeff from the video here. Yes, I know you can call it an e-brake, parking brake, etc. We did these videos without a script.

I've had the DMV ask where the "emergency brake" was during a behind the wheel test (here in CA) and they were referring to the parking brake.

[MiguelRelvas1]

Emergency brake? So if I wanna park the car I have to use the "emergency brake", this means that parking is an emergency... I call it "parking brake"

[TheMightyGreenGiant]

@KrazyVideoChick its parking brake, transmission in park, then turn car off

[rizwansharif1]

these tips and video demonstrations are excellent...thanx buddy

[Zzub7]

i thought the right way to test the park brake was to do about 50km/s and rip it on turn and rip it off to slide the back end out.. if you dont lock the back wheels get it adjsted :)

[daftquo420]

I just wanted to say thanks for this, before this I could barely check my oil, now I'm shocked at how easy these maintenance procedures are. Thanks for taking the time to make these videos.

[Kronaphasia]

Do not take advice from this moron. He should have his ass handed to him by a mega law suit. It is a parking brake NOT an emergency brake. Emergency brakes have not been on cars since the 1930's. Complete brake failure is very rare since all current braking systems use separated front/rear circuits in the master cylinder. If use the parking brake in an emergency while moving you are going to spin the car. Use the damn thing for what it was intended PARKING.

[TrickyNekro]

@Cripwalker2006

If I were you... I would quite playing keyboard warrior... get a license... AND a girlfriend....

Seriously... tooooo much porn... is bad for your health....