2018 Chrysler Pacifica brakes failed after battery recall work

Maintenance/Repairs
1

Was driving 2018 Chrysler Pacifica from a dealership after getting recall on batteries done. Drove one mile and going down a hill slowly because the stop light was red. I applied the brakes nothing I tried two more time as hard as I could brakes did nothing ended up rear ended the car ahead and was charged.

2

I donā€™t have an immediate theory. Did the brake pedal go all the way to the floor? When you say ā€œnothingā€, was it literally nothing or could it have been very weak? Finally, what did the brake pedal do after the accident?..and, did you check the amount of brake fluid in the reservoir after the accident?

3

If you want to blame the dealership you will need to contact a lawyer and immediately have an investigator inspect your Pacifica for the cause of the ā€˜no brakesā€™. If there is some link between the battery recall and the crash, a lawsuit can be filed.

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4

So did the brake pedal work immediately the wreck? Where is the vehicle at this time? Brakes or no brakes?

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5

Was the engine running normally or did it stall as you went down the hill?

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6

To me this sounds like the classic temporary panic by forgetting about the //// E BRAKE //// the \\E //// meaning \\ EMERGENCY ////

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7

Itā€™s actually a P BRAKE, meaning parking. Still better than nothing, though.

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8

Weather to call it a E brake or P brake depends on what you are using it for in a particular situation

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9

Not according to the manufacturers, not to mention the laws of physics. They provide a little stopping power, but it takes much longer to stop a vehicle than with the service brakes because thatā€™s not their purpose.

10

In a worst case situation one can always slam the automatic trans into PARK. The great odds are that no harm will occur and that will definitely lock the tires up.

A friend did this intentionally 3 times to make a point while I was with him. No harm no foul other than scrubbing off some tire rubber. The parking pawl is a pretty amazing little device.

11

It may take longer to stop depending on the speed the OP said that he was going very slow/

12

Down a hill, in a heavy vehicle. Certain hitting the E/P brake would have reduced the damage, but since he braked expecting the normal braking power, it would be too late to prevent the collision entirely, even if he hit the E/P brake immediately. Factor in the time to figure out thatā€™s what needed to be done. The natural reaction is to pump the brake pedal.

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13

I doubt that you would be able to locate the button for the electronic parking brake in a panic.

14

The OP may have an impossible time defending his position if the brake pedal was fine after the wreck.
If the pedal and brakes are fine you know the cause claimed by the other party is going to be inattentive driver whether itā€™s true or not.
In comes Whiplash Willie the attorneyā€¦

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15

"NYBo
Down a hill, in a heavy vehicle. Certain hitting the E/P brake would have reduced the damage, but since he braked expecting the normal braking power, it would be too late to prevent the collision entirely, even if he hit the E/P brake immediately. Factor in the time to figure out thatā€™s what needed to be done. The natural reaction is to pump the brake pedal.

True but I have seen people freeze in that situation and forget everything but pumping the pedal or holding it on the floor with both feet as far as the OP I canā€™t say what happened as I donā€™t know him and wasnā€™t there to really see or know what happened.

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16

I am thinking about the ones with the hand lever to pull up I have never driven one with the electronic parking brake.

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17

A little more information please and were the brakes working after the collision?

18

Chrysler mini vans never had a parking brake lever between the seats, the old ones had a parking brake pedal on the floor and that can be difficult to locate during a crash.

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19

True and I should have thought of that I had a Dodge Caravan years back that was that way and both of the PUā€™s I have now are that way.

20

Not necessarily, dependingā€“I supposeā€“on the specific make and model.
Many years ago, I was riding on the NJ Turnpike with a friend in his Corolla when it stalled at high speed. He decided to throw it into Park (while I shouted at him to NOT do thatā€¦), and all that happened was that there was a fairly loud ratcheting sound. Then, I prevailed on him to simply use the brakes and we were able to get to the road shoulder safely.

As you might have guessed, it was a case of Igniter failure, and even though the warranty had expired, Toyota covered the cost (minus the towing fee) in full.