Passat B6 Electronic Parking Brake

**Iainrugby** · 01-02-2006,10:21 PM

I have B6 Estate which is an improvement on the old model. The electronic parking brake is confusing me though. Generally I understand it and am able to set off with automatic disengagement. Three times in the last month however this did not work and the green warning light came on instead, nearly causing people to pile into the back of me. I have no idea what I have done differently to cause the green warning light to come on in the first place. I have tried various combinations of brake, accelerator, clutch etc. in the drive, but no green light appeared. Anyone any ideas?

**JBlues** · 02-02-2006,11:25 AM

This once happened to me and I have no idea why.

Do you have the Auto-Hold function fitted?
Did you take your seat belt off at any point?

**Gaz the Cab** · 02-02-2006,04:46 PM

I read something about probs with the handbrake on one of the other forums, dont have time to search now but its there somwhere if you look.

**Iainrugby** · 03-02-2006,09:45 PM

Yes, belt on, just standing at traffic lights, all as normal. As fas as I can see the only way to get the green warning light on is to press the button, only the button, no brake pedal, accelerator etc.

I rang the dealer and they booked the car in for "erratic" brake performance. I'll let you know what they find....

**Iainrugby** · 17-02-2006,09:27 PM

Update........dealer found nothing. The next day it happened again! I rang them and they offered to book it back it. We agreed that this was probably pointless so now I'm writing a diary of events. This week around 4 times. Mostly on the way to work, which is less than 40 minutes.

**Iainrugby** · 07-04-2006,08:21 PM

Update.......OK for about 3 weeks, then it started again. I just keep on making a note of the occurrence ready to show to VW.

**Roy** · 11-04-2006,01:47 PM

It's happened to me too and it has very nearly caused a couple of rear end shunts at the lights.

There's a switch or sensor to detect when the clutch has been depressed, I think part of the problem is that this detection point on my cars clutch pedal is much lower than the point at which you can engage gear, so if I don't make a consious effort to depress the cluch fully before engaging 1st the handbrake doesn't auto release

.

Apart from this I really like this car.

Roy

**Roy** · 12-04-2006,08:57 PM

On the subject of the parking brake, why on earth did vw put the button over there

Surely the logical place would have been on the centre console near the gear lever. I wonder how much work would be involved in setting up a switch on the console wired in parallel with the dash mounted switch ?

Roy

**JBlues** · 13-04-2006,12:21 PM

I always thought that shoving it over on the right-hand side was a bit odd too given that a 'noraml' car has a hand-brake on the left. I think the Audi A6 has the same system and the button for that appears on the centre console......or have I dreamt that?!

My car is back in again today for parking sensor testing....oh joy.

blackie · 14-04-2006,01:08 PM

I have had nothing but problems with my electronic parking brake. I've got a 55 TDI and I've had a variety of problems ranging from the brake not engaging to it not disengaging. I've taken it back to the dealer and they can't find anything wrong.

The messages I get are 'Engine failure' and 'brake failure' appear on the OBC. This was one ting when the car was stationery and I was trying to pull away, but something entirely different when it comes on when I'm driving along!

I was convinced that each failure would write an entry to the OBC fault log and the dealer could just download it and find the fault, but no, far too logical that. It turns out that whenever the car writes a fault to the log, if it's an intermittent fault, as it is with me and some of the other guys on here, the car will delete the entry if it finds that it's been working ok a few times as it thinks that the fault has been fixed! What a loud of rubbish!

Like I say, it's one thing seeing the fault appear on the OBC when you're stationery and the brake not disengage, but something totally different when you see 'brake failure' when you're in motion. I've told the dealer that I want to give the car back as this is just the latest in a catalogue of faults. We'll see what happens...