[1LT]

Anyone have this happen? You go to apply the brake and sometimes is clunks, and pushes down easier as if its not engaging? (Clunks then slips the rest of the travel )

 

[Sandhopper]

Nope, But I think I can count on one hand the number of times I have used my parking break in two years and 38K miles.

 

[DrivenDaily]

I rarely use mine as well and it has worked flawlessly every time.

Were I to visit San Francisco then I'd expect to use it most of the time. The law there requires you to curb your wheels, meaning you have to turn them so the downhill side is aimed at the curb. When parking facing uphill, turn left; facing downhill, turn right. (That's to the best of my memory. If it's different then someone who lives or visits there more often will update this.)

When I was learning to drive in PA my dad told me not to set it in the winter time because the moisture that gets on the cable while driving can freeze and make it hard or impossible to release the next morning. Not sure of the construction of ours (exposed or sheathed), but a cable is a cable.

 

[1LT]

I rarely use mine as well and it has worked flawlessly every time.

Were I to visit San Francisco then I'd expect to use it most of the time. The law there requires you to curb your wheels, meaning you have to turn them so the downhill side is aimed at the curb. When parking facing uphill, turn left; facing downhill, turn right. (That's to the best of my memory. If it's different then someone who lives or visits there more often will update this.)

When I was learning to drive in PA my dad told me not to set it in the winter time because the moisture that gets on the cable while driving can freeze and make it hard or impossible to release the next morning. Not sure of the construction of ours (exposed or sheathed), but a cable is a cable.

I always heard (and read in a manual somewhere) the opposite - to use the brake - especially in harsh winters because it keeps the cable/parts free and lubricated...

 

[elcompaLalo]

WOW!

Hard to believe that none of you use it on a regular basis. I use it every single time I drive. Isn't it bad for the tranny?

Sorry to go off topic OP.

 

[DrivenDaily]

The only time I use mine is by accident, when my Big Foot presses on it while I am getting in the car. The placement of the pedal bothers me as much as the heated seat switch bothers others. Whenever this happens, is when I find out that it still works correctly. If your parking brake pedal is not working correctly 1LT, then you need to find out where the clunk is coming from. Is it down by the pedal itself? Or under the car? Start there. Or if you dont feel like messing with it, take it to the shop.
I do not feel it is nessessary to use the brake unless parking on a hill, or doing maintenance or something on the car that requires the brake on for safety. Its probably good to engage and check it every once in a while, if you never engage it, it might not work when you need it.

WOW!

Hard to believe that none of you use it on a regular basis. I use it every single time I drive. Isn't it bad for the tranny?

Sorry to go off topic OP.

I check mine every now and then, but I don't have a regular schedule. I just do it when I get a hair up my nose the wrong way.

I would say if you used it as a means of reducing the stress on the tranny then the right way would be to put the trans in N, set the brake, then trans to P. When leaving, start the car, pull trans to N, release brake, then trans to R or D (Race or Drag ) The parking pawl is solidly attached to the trans case and engages a ring on the diff somewhere - not sure where on front drive but it'll be a single point that can affect both wheels, so the ring gear comes to mind. On the level there won't be any strain on the trans to keep the car still. On a mild hill there'll be some, depending on the severity of the incline and any additional loads in or on the car (luggage, tools, trailer, etc.). As the load and incline increase you'll want to start considering the parking brake more. But on a mild incline or flat surface I'd say the p-brake isn't of any real consequence.

 

[Chevrolet Customer Svc]

ILT,

If you feel that this is going to be an issue, you can contact the dealership to pick their brain about this. Unfortunately, I have read about this or heard about this by other Malibu owners.

Michelle P., Chevrolet Customer Service

 

[malibudragon]

I use mine every time.. but to answer your question Our 4cyl ltz did this.. You would push down and it would go to the floor.. Warranty fixed it up for us.

 

[Mr. Bill]

Driven Daily: The process you described for applying the parking brake, shift to neutral, on with the parking brake, and then into Park is exactly the procedure my father used and insisted I use when learning to drive. He said utilizing this procedure eliminated pressure on the transmission parking pawl, but he also admitted this was a procedure he started using back during the days of driving push button Chrysler products before a "Park" position was utilized. If you didn't set the parking brake, the car would roll away. Anyhow, I just don't like the thought of the car's weight against the parking pawl, can't do them any good is the way I feel.

Mr. Bill
Hamlet, NC

 

[DrivenDaily]

I remember seeing a push button automatic but it was so long ago I don't remember whose it was. I must have been young 'cause I don't recall even noticing that there wasn't a Park.

If I use mine that's how I set it, but I rarely use it. The biggest incline I park on is at work and it's nearly flat. Maybe a foot of incline in 100 feet or more. That's about 1%, right?

 

[dennisk]

I use my parking brake all the time, probably out of habit since my other cars are manuals.

I've used it in the winter on other cars and the Malibu with no problems regarding the cable freezing.

If you only occasionally use it, I'd be more worried about setting it. I did an oil change for someone, and he neglected to tell me he doesn't use the parking brake. I had to crawl under the car and fiddle with the cable to get it to release.

 

[tygriff]

I have this issue on my 2010 2LT 4-cyl. Extremely intermittently when I go to press the e-brake I hear a pop/clunk like the linkage did not engage and then, because I am applying load, the pedal pushes to the floor. If you release and retry it works fine.
I use the e-brake every time I park (atleast 3-5 times a day) and in the 13 months I have owned the Malibu it has only happned maybe 15 times.

I am well within the warranty period, but I don't want to waste my time going to the dealer to find out they can't replicate and send me on my way.

Sadly, I am hoping whatever is faulty fully fails and then it is easy to show the dealer the issue and get it fixed.

Unless someone can tell me exactly what the component is and how it is failing (so I can communicate this to the dealer), I am just dealing with it. For now, I just press the brake VERY slowly and thus if it doesn't engage at least I won't bang my shin!!!!!

 

[malibudragon]

I will look for the paperwork for ours. We went to the dealer and explained what it was doing and said they had already repaired a few doing that. I'm not sure what all they replaced but I will look at see..

 

[Chevrolet Customer Svc]

tygriff,

I understand your frustration with your vehicle. Have you contact General Motors of Canada about this?

Michelle, Chevrolet Customer Service

 

[tygriff]

Michelle,

No I haven't contacted customer service about it. It really is a not a 'show stopper' for me.
My brother in-law is the midsize brand manager for GM Canada and he helped me out in the past with an electrical problem on my Bu. I will talk to him in the coming weeks and see if he can probe anything at his end to see if GM Canada has any documentation on the issue.

If I get anything, I will be sure to post.

 

[Chevrolet Customer Svc]

Dear tygriff,

Thank you for sharing the information about your situation. I am glad to read that you have help with your brother-in-law.

I hope that you have a great week and I look forward to any updates that you would like to share.

Michelle, Chevrolet Customer Service

 

[RalphP]

I remember seeing a push button automatic but it was so long ago I don't remember whose it was.

Most likely an early 60's Chrysler TorqueFlite.

Man, I LOVED those!

(The pushbutton transmission, that is. Not so wild about some of the cars ... others, were gorgeous, IMAO!)

The Black Beauty (the Green Horent's car) had those from the factory, IIRC.

RwP

 

[ChicagoMalibu2009]

To the OP, i've had this issue also. I feel the same as tygriff -- not a show stopper, just an annoying reality of issues the dealership likely "can't reproduce." Not a big enough deal to spend time going to the dealership when they will tell me it's probably because (insert some minor unrelated thing they noticed about my car, such as I put a bumper sticker on crooked, here).

Anyways, probably no biggie and since it works once we retry its probably OK. Just freaked me out the first few times it happened.

 

[GolfTango]

My Aura had the same problem. They replaced the entire e-brake assy and the issue has not come back.

 

[Chevrolet Customer Svc]

ChicagoMalibu2009,

I can understand the frustration that you are experiencing with your situation. If you would like to contact me when you are ready to take the vehicle into the dealership for this that would be fine.

I hope that you have a great holiday weekend!
Michelle, Chevrolet Customer Service