The cars can roll away after you park them.
Rolling away can largely be prevented by always using the parking brake when parking. If that is done, and the transmission is put in park (in gear for a manual transmission), then two things (instead of just one) have to fail for the car to roll away.
@ucbalumnus that’s a good rule but how many people don’t normally engage the parking brake? I’m guilty of not using it.
lol - I always using the parking break. It’s just something you do, like put on your seatbelt. Maybe because I learned to drive with a stick shift??? Who knows.
My first car was a stick so of course I used it but I guess I got lazy once I started driving automatics.
Why would manual versus automatic transmission be different in terms of using the parking brake?
Whew, our Escape is not one of the years being recalled.
@ucbalumnus I’m not sure what you mean. You have to use the parking brake with a stick unless you leave your car in gear which I never did. You don’t have to with an automatic though I probably should.
I am one of those who always uses a parking brake. Really want to be SURE the car won’t roll or go somewhere.
Ever since driving school before I first got my driver’s license, my usual car parking habit is to use the parking brake and leave the transmission in gear (manual) or park (automatic). I.e. no difference in the use of the parking brake either way (and the transmission is the backup method, rather than the primary method, of keeping the car from rolling away).
@ucbalumnus The new drivers in our house set the parking brake so I assume driving school still teaches it.
In Texas it’s against the law to leave a car unattended without setting the parking brake.
^I never knew that about Texas law! I guess I broke it frequently while I lived there.
@MaineLonghorn It has been a law since 1995.
^Ah, OK. I wondered why I didn’t know about it. Makes sense.
I attended driving school since my high school didn’t offer drivers ed, I just don’t remember being instructed to use the emergency brake. Perhaps I forgot. My husband says he was never instructed to do it either.
Car owner’s manuals also contain instructions to use the parking brake when parking.
http://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/vdirsnet/OwnerManual/Home/Index?bookcode=O28451&marketCode=US&languageCode=EN&VIN=&userMarket=USA&div=f is the 2016 Ford Fusion owner’s manual (this is the car mentioned in the article).
http://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/vdirsnet/OwnerManual/Home/Content?bookCode=O28451&languageCode=en&marketCode=US&viewTech=IE&chapterTitleSelected=G1518959&subTitleSelected=G1547347&topicHRef=G1547348&div=f&vFilteringEnabled=False&userMarket=USA is the page relating to the parking brake.
Not only the drivers ed teachers instruct to use that brake all the time when parked, they also call it “parking brake” NOT “emergency brake,” and they teach to turn the wheels towards the curb or away from the curb depending on what side of a hill one parked.
But that not an excuse. A car shoul not roll even on a hill without that parking brake. Unless someone runs into it or gives it a huge shove.
This thread has moved away from my original intent which was to warn anyone who owns the above vehicles of the recall. There are a lot of people who may not use their brake, which I know the proper term may be parking brake but I call it the emergency brake.
A car should not roll, when placed park hence the recall. I’m sure I’m not the only one that doesn’t use it. Hopefully this thread helps someone who may own one of these models.
As we know from the airbag fiasco, recall notices don’t always get to the owner.
IME of Americans driving automatics, no one uses that hand brake. When my kids learned to drive this has been a thing I have reiterated because I am not sure it was taught. While the thread might have shifted, the real point is that all cars should be parked correctly, and that means the parking brake, hand brake, or emergency brake, no matter the nomenclature. What do insurance companies have to say about this issue? That’s what really gets people’s attention. If they decide users are not using the item correctly and refuse to pay, people will suddenly decide it is a great idea.
Wow, I had no idea people didn’t automatically use the parking, emergency,hand brake. It’s just second nature, like starting the engine and using the seat belt.
Learned to drive on an automatic and then learned to drive a stick shift. ALWAYS applied the parking brake. Also, I was taught to never leave a stick shift parked in neutral, always in gear.