Does anyone know what happens if you drive w/ the emergency brake on?

[KimR]

Does it damage the car or brakes? And what if there is a nasty odor coming from the car - would it cost $$$$ to fix the damage? Note that this is a purely hypothetical question: I would never be so idiotic as to drive with the emergency brake on!

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

Unfortunately, I do! You melt your brake pads!

I drove around with the stupid thing on for who knows how long a few years ago. I had to get new brake pads and it cost me around $400.

 

[kild]

LOL! It burns the brake up. You can drive without the emeregency brake, but it wouldn't hurt to get it checked out. I mean, if that ever happened.

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

LOL! You know, I never used my emergency brake, so I had no clue or reason to think it was on when I drove around with it....it was surprising how easy it was not to notice.

How DID the stupid emergency brake go on anyway?

 

[Princess_Aurora]

This is what usually happens when I do it...I go, Why isn't my car going??? I can tell when I let off the brake because my car doesn't do that rolling thing and I'll look down and go, Oh, my emergency brake is on.

 

[Kirk]

DD wore the back pads out but it didn't cost much to have them replaced. It was using the car as a submersable that cost the BIG BUCK$!

 

[PamOKW]

Uhm, if there were an "odor", could it have smelled like burning rubber?

Last time I was at the Honda dealer for service they came out and asked a man where he got his brake pads. They were asking because the garage had put them on backward.

 

[BriarfoxinWA]

That bad odor is the brake pads overheating. Driving with the E-brake on can cause a fire. I know of more than one case where the Vehicle actually caught on fire and burned up.

 

[Dan Murphy]

It is the same as driving with the brakes on. Only difference is e-brake is using a mechanical cable whereas regular is using hydraulic, but same effect. It only affects the rear also, not the front.

 

[stinkerbelle]

You know - for an EMERGENCY BREAK I've gotten the car going pretty fast with the darn thing on.



happens to the best of us...

 

[jvas]

It's actually a parking brake.

When you drive with it on...you not only melt or crystalize the shoes/pads, but you can also heat the rotors/drums enough to
actually make them brittal. If the drums/rotors are any shade of blue or have blue spots, you need to change them also. On brakes using drums, you make just want to have the return springs replaced too.