Parking brake

[Mgzs ev]

I occasionally experience that the parking brake does not release automatically when I put the gear in drive or reverse. I then have to unlock it manually with the button in the middle. does anyone have this too?

 

[Tim Green]

I have found this if I have tried to rush the start-up sequence. Once it has happened, it can get into a real tangle. Waiting for the bongs seems to work!

 

[Mgzs ev]

our first mgzs has never had this, and I always wait patiently for the start sound.

This morning the car was already on and I got out with the car fully on.
Even then I had to manually release the parking brake.

 

[Pimbers]

Are you trying to drive off without your seatbelt on? I seem to recall that doesn't allow the parking brake to release automatically.

 

[Lovemyev]

Our drive is on a slight decline, with the front of the car facing down hill, into that incline.
The clearance from the nose of the car to the front of the garage door, is less than half a mitre.
Having the car roll forward would be a bad day !.
We have owned both Gen1 & Gen 2 models and they both behaved in the same way.
So, enter via the drivers door and close it.
Then secure on the seat belt.
Foot on the brake pedal and press the start button.
Hold the pressure on the pedal until the car bongs and displays the green ready light .
Turn the gear selector to reverse and if you remove your foot from the brake pedal, the car will continue to hold its position on the incline.
To get the handbrake to release, I have to tap the GO pedal fairly hard with my foot, in order to get the hand brake to release.
You can actually feel the back of car raise up slightly, before the handbrake can be heard to suddenly release.
Of course you can release the hand brake manually, by pushing down the hand brake switch.
But this has never been necessary TBH.

 

[Tangoed Man]

I have the opposite problem on MG4 Trophy. I stopped the car, pressed P, it lit up in yellow, didn't engage the handbrake (but I failed to notice), released the brake pedal, gathered my things, opened the door and was halfway out when the car suddenly went back into Drive! Really upset, especially as the door was open prior to it deciding to go back into D. I guess this is some of the problem of EV's not have a gearbox. NOTE TO SELF; never trust the MG4 to apply the handbrake upon selecting P - do it manually every time to make sure.

 

[Lovemyev]

In the ZS EV - I have adopted the following process before leaving the car.
With my foot firmly on the foot brake, I shift into "N" first, then push down on the "P" button and listen for the hand brake motors at the rear to activate.
Then shut down the car, only then, do I release my foot from brake pedal !.
May seem a little long winded on paper and OTT - But it only takes seconds and ensures the hand brake is fully applied correctly and the car does not go free wheel past me on the car park .

 

[Tim Green]

When you press P it should engage the parking brake and that should be it.
The only thing I have noticed is that with the drivers door open, all sorts of funny things can happen. I think there is a fault with the logic in the software. I had a similar experience when I first had the car. On experimentation, I found that it does not go into Drive but into neutral, so if on a hill it will roll. However, the parking brake will engage about a second or two later. I always make sure the driver door is firmly shut before I do anything.

 

[Lovemyev]

The only thing I have noticed is that with the drivers door open, all sorts of funny things can happen.

I guess the car becomes confused by the fact that as the door is open, and therefore hand brake should still be applied for safety reasons anyway ?.
My previous VW PHEV acted in a similar way.
Say you wanted to reverse slowly into a tight space.
Then you wanted to just open the drivers slightly, in order to check your positioning within the lines of the bay maybe ?.
It was having absolutely none of it game.
The car would bleep & bong and prevent this from happening.
If you opened the door just slightly, it would throw a huge tantrum.
Same when you entered the car.
It had been programmed to recognise a set sequence / program of operation.
Unlock the car, open the door, place bum on the seat.
Close the door, then fasten seat belt.
Foot on the brake pedal and then press the start button.
Then it would release the handbrake as good as gold !.
Try to shortcut the sequence of events and the car would complain badly.
You would then find that the electric hand brake had not release automatically.
As a result, the rear of the car would be lifting and falling as we tried to move the car either forward or backwards.
Why - Because the handbrake had not released !.

 

[Roldorf]

If you have the car in Neutral or Drive and you open the drivers door the handbrake engages, at least on my car.