Hyundai handbrake failure

sizeate

My son was given a 2015 Hyundai i30 courtesy car after an accident. He parked it on a slight incline and woke in the morning to find it had very slowly, over 5 hours, rolled into our neighbours car.

There is no damage to the courtesy car and the handbrake was still on, however neighbours car has damage. We were able to push the car whilst the handbrake was still on. Later on whilst investigating, we found if we pulled the handbrake as high as it can possibly go, the car doesn't move, but one notch below and you can easily push it. Would Hyundai be responsible for this? My son will lose his NCB if he has to claim off insurance. Anybody had similar issues?

gilbert_and_sullivan

Never trust a parking brake on its own on an incline, leave in gear and if it's especially steep such that the hill could overcome engine compression and still move, turn the wheels into the kerb or similar.

You've shown that the parking brake will hold the car if pulled up hard enough, don't see how Hyundai can be held responsible.

I'd be sorting this out privately with the neighbours, unless they're the sort to have been sitting in the car with 4 of their extended family and all suffered whiplash and trauma.

burlington6

gilbert_and_sullivan wrote: »

Never trust a parking brake on its own on an incline, leave in gear and if it's especially steep such that the hill could overcome engine compression and still move, turn the wheels into the kerb or similar.

You've shown that the parking brake will hold the car if pulled up hard enough, don't see how Hyundai can be held responsible.

I'd be sorting this out privately with the neighbours, unless they're the sort to have been sitting in the car with 4 of their extended family and all suffered whiplash and trauma.

No idea what sort you're on about :beer::rotfl:

IamNotAllowedToUseMyName

Well, the suggestion is that the OP has been hired a car unfit for purpose. Handbrake pulled on firmly yet will not hold the car on a slight incline, I'd be complaining strongly to the hire company.

AdrianC

No, Hyundai are not responsible for your son failing to apply the handbrake on fully...

I guess you're used to cars with drum rear brakes - as hot brakes cool, they contract, pulling the handbrake on more fully. With discs, that contraction releases the handbrake slightly. Nothing to do with the manufacturer, everything to do with basic physics.

It's always been important to put the handbrake on fully, but more so with cars with rear discs.

photome

IanMSpencer wrote: »

Well, the suggestion is that the OP has been hired a car unfit for purpose. Handbrake pulled on firmly yet will not hold the car on a slight incline, I'd be complaining strongly to the hire company.

What about the bit in the OP that states

Later on whilst investigating, we found if we pulled the handbrake as high as it can possibly go, the car doesn't move,

that suggests to me the OP didnt put the handbrake on properly, cant se how that is anyone elses fault.

I would also advocate leaving the car in gear especially on an incline

IamNotAllowedToUseMyName

photome wrote: »

What about the bit in the OP that states

Later on whilst investigating, we found if we pulled the handbrake as high as it can possibly go, the car doesn't move,

that suggests to me the OP didnt put the handbrake on properly, cant se how that is anyone elses fault.

I would also advocate leaving the car in gear especially on an incline

Partial quote - I have never had a handbrake where the only setting it will hold a car is the very last notch. That sounds like a badly adjusted handbrake to me.

arcon5

This will be covered by THEIR insurance policy.

You'r sons policy may not even offer driving other car cover, and even if it does it's unlikely to excluse courtersey cars.

They will have insurance for the car.

roneik

Faulty handbrake adjustment. Reason is if it managed to damage the other car, it suggests that the last notch was only ever capable of just about holding the car still. In fifty years of driving I have never and would never drive a car that the handbrake had to be touching the headlining to make it stand still . If you had bought a mini ,you would have handbrake on second notch, and after enjoying driving a superior car and parking up for the night you would not have to go to the next village to find it:rotfl:

AdrianC

How do you know that "last notch" (ie last notch that it was pullable-onto, rather than last on the ratchet) wasn't the second or third notch?

roneik

Because he was in intimate contact with the roof light and had to fight off dead insects and spiders webs. He almost had altitude sickness. He was wearing insulated gloves and sucking a mint humbug as the lever came away in his hand. After a quick trot and overtaking three buses he caught sight of it coming to a halt in a drive through Macdonalds. To be continued