Thread: Emergency Brake Lock? 2010 Soul ! (parking brake)

Vehicle: 2010 Kia Soul ! (U.S. Model) 5-Spd Manual, Disc/Disc brakes

This might fall under the category of "User Error" but I need to look somewhere.

Twice in the last 6 months my wife has had to call roadside assistance because in her words "the car won't move". Both times I have had her on the phone (freaking out) and it sounds to me like the emergency brake is frozen. She says she can get it to move backwards a little but she revs it so much it starts smelling like clutch (I can only imagine how hard she's pushing it).

She says the parking brake lever is fully released, there are no lights on the dash and the engine runs fine. Of course by the time it gets to the dealer there is no problem and the car rolls fine!

It happened again last night, this time she went back inside for a few hours to see if it would go away. She finally gave up and called roadside, they arrived an hour later and car rolled perfectly (of course).

I have never been able to reproduce the problem nor has it ever happened to me. The car has 35,000 miles.

Has anyone had this happen on the rear disc brake Kia Soul??

I've only had this happen on one car, an old VW, where moisture got into the parking brake cables. Check the cable housings (or if it's under warranty, have the dealer do so). What was the weather and any other circumstances?

Also possible they're kinked or binding somewhere. If it happens again, tap the calipers and see if they release, check for debris hung up in the calipers or cables. Heck, if you have the 18" wheels you can reach right in! Maybe check if anything near the fly-off handbrake lever could have jammed the linkage, that was a possibility in my old Jetta of the boot was off. Of course, see if the handbrake lever itself is releasing fully, even after a gorilla-pull on it.

Good luck,

Originally Posted by bb_248

Vehicle: 2010 Kia Soul ! (U.S. Model) 5-Spd Manual, Disc/Disc brakes

She says the parking brake lever is fully released, there are no lights on the dash and the engine runs fine. Of course by the time it gets to the dealer there is no problem and the car rolls fine!

I have never been able to reproduce the problem nor has it ever happened to me. The car has 35,000 miles.

Has anyone had this happen on the rear disc brake Kia Soul??

WELL It is happening to me ..
I can roll it backward but NOT forward.. Thanks to Dixon for good advice .. I dont "see" anythingthruthe spokes.. taking it into dealer to fix only 10K miles.. weather is FREEZING.. so hope its the "Moisture In the line"

Standing By

only one recent complaint about parking brake over on nhtsa (https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm) and is the opposite of your experience...

Make : KIA MOTOR
Model : SOUL Year : 2010
Manufacturer : HYUNDAI-KIA AMERICA TECHNICAL CENTER INC
Crash : No Fire : No Number of Injuries: 0
ODI ID Number : 10369845
Number of Deaths: 0
Date of Failure: October 15, 2010 VIN : KNDJT2A23A7...
Component: PARKING BRAKE
Summary:
I AM THE OWNER OF A 2010 SOUL. THE CAR ROLLED DOWN A HILL IN 1ST GEAR WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ON TWICE, THE 2ND TIME INTO A RIVER. NOW EVERY TIME IT IS DAMP OR COLD THE EMERGENCY BRAKE STICKS [STAYS ON WHEN THE LEVER IS DISENGAGED] AND I END UP DRIVING WITH THE BRAKE ON. THE ENTIRE CAR SHAKES UNTIL THE BRAKE LETS GO. I HAVE HAD THE CAR LOOKED AT BY MY LOCAL DEALER TWICE AND THEY HAVE DONE NOTHING.

well It just got back from dealer, they found the emergency brake was stuck and cable is on order, the ABS code C1211, and the right rear cable was "Manipulated" .. drives fine now.. I just dont get how hard barking would affect the "secondary and seperate" E brake system.. But regardless, its sooooo Nice to get a free tow and this problem fixed for 0$..

My car has rolled a few times with e brake on,(granted maybe just a few clicks.. )Very annoying but I learhned to leave it in gear.

Sounds interesting. I have automatics in all of my Kias, but I always use the parking brake (mainly because it tells you to in the owner's manual, and so that the NHTSA can focus on issues that actually are safety issues, not stupid mistakes by owners blaming their cars). I could imagine that being unbelievably annoying, however. One thing I noticed is that after 60k miles, the cable is getting a little bit loose over time. Maintenance schedule says to check every 3k miles and adjust as needed, so next oil change......

Originally Posted by auraborus

My car has rolled a few times with e brake on,(granted maybe just a few clicks.. )Very annoying but I learhned to leave it in gear.

if i read what person said right then i think the car was left in first gear with emergency brake on when it rolled down a hill twice which kind of surprised me b/c i would have left it in reverse on hill but think the manual calls for either one but not sure....

You park in 1st gear if you are parked facing UPhill, and you park in Reverse if you are parked facing DOWNhill. Otherwise, your engine can start and your car will drive away, which is a safety issue :P

was curious after i posted and checked manual... 5-17 in mine says nothing about reverse and says to leave car in low gear so nhtsa person that rolled away in first with parking brake on does have a legit complaint but for me, leaving car in reverse when facing downhill does make the most logical sense....

I'm quite concerned on this issue you speak of and I don't know if you guys ever resolved it. I am a firm believer in the always using the parking brake whether it be on a hill or flat surface, auto or manual. To the persons that had issues with the parking brake freezing, Do you use yours on a regular basis or simply when you are on a hill. To the best of my knowledge and the research I have done, the consensus of the manufacturers and repair persons alike, it is to be used all the time. Please be honest and tell me your reasons for I am not the only one who drives the car and I'm trying to get the others to learn the importance of it. They are older and set in their ways and will not listen to the difference UNLESS it is heard from the dealer or others whom have had the same problem with the same car.
2012 Kia soul