Weird and dangerous I was driving my 2006 VW Passat up the Grapevine, going about 75. All of sudden the car started slowing down - very rapidly - as if I had slammed on the brakes. I had tons of trucks to my right, all going as faster or faster than I was, and so had to pull across three lanes of traffic to the left. Sat on shoulder for awhile; brake light was on. (And no, I didn’t hit the emergency brake accidentally; in Passats it’s a button located on the upper left side of the dash - impossible to accidentally engage unless you were dancing or flailing about…). Turned car on and off to “reset.” Was OK for the next few days but then parked on a level surface; when I came back to car, emergency brake had again engaged. I called VW about this - and mentioned how I almost died on the Grapevine - and yet they seem to think my problem “couldn’t possibly have happened.” I’m totally freaked out about driving now…help!
A VW with electrical issues? Of course it couldn’t possibly have happened. LOL
Go to http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/ and search for your type of problem. You can easily see if it has been reported before. If it has, you certainly need to find a new dealer.
Another reason not to electrify something as simple as the parking brake. If it’s electric, it can go on by accident. Don’t let them put you off at the dealer. Of course it’s possible, and for them to tell you otherwise is BOGUS.
If it’s electric, it can go on by accident.
Or fail. It’s called an emergency brake because it’s supposed to work when the rest of the car dies. What a stupid design.