My car won’t move

[Dznypal]

We stored my car at our sons while our new road was being put in so we wouldn’t have to play musical cars with 2 cars every night. Having to switch from one side of the street to the other. We are both semi retired so there are days when my car doesn’t get used at all. Well now we can at least get back into our garage so we went yesterday to get it and it doesn’t move. The parking brake was on since their driveway is on a bit of a slant but taking that off it’s like still on. When we tried to move it the back end goes up a bit have no clue what’s wrong. The car is a 2001 so it’s been around but runs great Anyone have any ideas on this. It feels like something got locked or frozen. We did get a bit of snow slush but never below zero. Way too early for even the snow. Just wondering thanks

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Does the battery need a jump start?

 

[tinkerhon]

Is the brake light and the battery light coming on at the same.time ? If so, it's probably the alternator

 

[Dznypal]

No actually it started right up first try. Thanks though

 

[Dznypal]

Not sure on any lights since my DH is the one that started it. So the alternator would cause the car to freeze up. We had a mini van that had all sorts of trouble between the starter and battery every 3 months one went. They took turns so we finally gave up on the dealer we had this problem for the first 18 months we had the car so we took it to our mechanic and he discovered it was the alternator No more problems. I’ll ask though about any lights that went on. Thanks

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Oh, sorry, I didn't realize the car had actually started up.

Could the emergency brake cable be frozen? I think I've had that happen before

 

[Klayfish]

From your description, it has nothing to do with the alternator, the battery, or electrical system. When you release the emergency brake did it seem normal? It almost sounds like the emergency brake has gotten hung up. It's typically a caliper on the rear wheels. if the car is 18 years old and has lived in the snowbelt, not uncommon at all for rust to set in. Probably not a big deal, but you want to have a mechanic take care of it.

 

[lynxstch]

From your description, it has nothing to do with the alternator, the battery, or electrical system. When you release the emergency brake did it seem normal? It almost sounds like the emergency brake has gotten hung up. It's typically a caliper on the rear wheels. if the car is 18 years old and has lived in the snowbelt, not uncommon at all for rust to set in. Probably not a big deal, but you want to have a mechanic take care of it.

That was my first thought too. The emergency brake must be stuck so the car won't move. Sounds like a job for a mechanic to me also. Good luck!

 

[kaytieeldr]

https://itstillruns.com/car-wont-go-put-gear-7260658.html
https://www.yourmechanic.com/question/my-car-will-start-but-won-t-move-by-jess-n
https://community.cartalk.com/t/gear-shift-moves-but-car-wont-drive/76946
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/...1ztDtz0a-FV-fJ-M9V2JTY_wONQxaiiSHR6Z2DwUp7RW-

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Are you able to shift the car but it's just that it seems like the parking brake is stuck? Like take it from Park and into Reverse?

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

From your description, it has nothing to do with the alternator, the battery, or electrical system. When you release the emergency brake did it seem normal? It almost sounds like the emergency brake has gotten hung up. It's typically a caliper on the rear wheels. if the car is 18 years old and has lived in the snowbelt, not uncommon at all for rust to set in. Probably not a big deal, but you want to have a mechanic take care of it.

That actually just happened to my mother-in-law 2 weeks ago. The caliper actually broke in half when the shop removed it, it was so rusted.

 

[Poohlove]

Try setting and releasing the brake again. You can also try pulling the brake release a few times to see if it is maybe just hung up.

 

[Squirlz]

Your brake is stuck. Pads are rusted to the rotors I'd bet.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

We stored my car at our sons while our new road was being put in so we wouldn’t have to play musical cars with 2 cars every night. Having to switch from one side of the street to the other. We are both semi retired so there are days when my car doesn’t get used at all. Well now we can at least get back into our garage so we went yesterday to get it and it doesn’t move. The parking brake was on since their driveway is on a bit of a slant but taking that off it’s like still on. When we tried to move it the back end goes up a bit have no clue what’s wrong. The car is a 2001 so it’s been around but runs great Anyone have any ideas on this. It feels like something got locked or frozen. We did get a bit of snow slush but never below zero. Way too early for even the snow. Just wondering thanks

It is very likely that your emergency/parking brake release mechanism is stuck. If setting and releasing doesn't help, Find out which wheel is your emergency brake wheel and you can usually find it and hammer it unstuck. You can try some lubricant (such as WD40 on the e brake mechanism also. Make sure you don't get it on your rotor or your pads. This is just a temporary unsticking for you to get it somewhere. It's going to stick again until you ultimately fix it. If it's iced you can usually un stick the ice with a hammer or a hair dryer.

This is a video on how to ultimately fix it on a Nissan Maxima. Other cars are similar, but not all of them use the same wheel.

 

[Klayfish]

Yes, you can take the wheel off and tap the caliper with a hammer. It could be the cable itself, but more than likely the caliper piston is crusty and stuck. I would not recommend using a lubricant because it won't get to the necessary area if in fact it is the caliper. WD-40 actually isn't a lubricant, so I wouldn't recommend using it anyway. There are specific anti-seize sprays that any auto parts store sell, but unless OP knows that they're doing, I wouldn't use it on the brakes.

Shot in the dark, but is it below freezing? It is possible the caliper is actually frozen with ice if so.

 

[Dznypal]

Thanks for all the very helpful replies. My don was able to get it unstuck and dropped it off at our house we’ll take it to our mechanic tomorrow