Loads on the net on other marques and Fords but not seen anything on the new Fiesta ST. parked on slight incline, 3o mins later ended up through wall backwards with police attending who confirmed locked and handbrake on and prepared to testify.
Ford have had it in no issues found so Insurance now sorting and are going to have a try against Ford
question is, looking on the web seems that disk brakes and handbrakes dont mix too well
Is there a major investigation going on or has anyone else one against a manf on this issue of the disks cooling and letting go after being parked

BTW not mine, its sons, mines autobox Vw with electric handbrake so no chance of a driver error there

And yeh I always used to park my manuals in gear having grown up on mk1 escorts

 

How steep was the hill.

 

It is in the highway code to always leave a car in gear when parked, especially on a hill. It's due to the hot discs contracting when cooling and the pads loosing grip on them. Driver error IMO.

 

But if the issue is discs cooling and pads loosing grip, why arent there loads of other people with different makes of cars having this happen?

Have you had it happen?

 

Since the mk7 fiesta has a floor pan that's more or less the same as the Corsa d and punto. It may a similar issue with the handbrake cable that the Corsa d had with the cable boden pulling through the hoops. The fix was to fit c washers to the cable.

 

sure it was on fully , as they have hill start assist that puts handbrake on for a few secs automatically when engine running!

 

probably less than 1 in 80 talking to him, it seems that it just pushed the dodgy wall over, however new rear plastic pumper, and some damage to heat shield and under spare
And yeh highway code I know, I was always taught that way and taught him to do the same but you cant tell 22 year olds that have had a license since 17 to drive

Did a straw poll and probably less than 20 % of friends would leave a car in gear.
Police officer that attended said it wasn't his fault and no charges either
Perhaps there should be a big warning sticker then if the handbrake is only a temporary measure

as I say I have a VW DSG so no issues there

 

sorry if this is a stupid question but the few cars I have worked on with disks at the rear also has drum brakes for the hand brake, the disks were for the foot brake!

Is this so with the fiesta?

If this is the case as the disk rotor cooled it would tighten against the shoes.

If not and the hand brake worked with disks as well as the foot brake ther ewould be some loosening as the disk cooled.

HOW EVER, hand brakes are normally connected to the brake by a steel wire under tension , this has give in it and would more than take up any slake caused by cooling.

Hydraulics don't, one of the reasons they are more effective than wired brakes. (the better push bikes even use them now because of this!)

hope this helps

 

Reason is simple really bud most people leave car in gear I always do this whether car is on hill or just a side road or on my drive.
It also states in highway code if parked on a hill or steep incline to turn wheels to face curb in case handbrake fails

nearly all of my mates and people I been in car with leave it in gear only 2 I know that don't are my ma and my mrs

 

As far as I know, its discs all round including parking brake, I haven't ever seen a drum and disc brake on a car unless you are referring to the transmission brake that uses drums such as on landrover series and defenders and discoverys

 

A lot of cars have disks on the back that incorporate drums inside for the handbrake

 

Thanks
I didn't know that

 

Later land rovers have the handbrake shoes inside the rear brake disc, as do Mercs etc, but Fords use the rear discs and pads for both foot and parking brake, probably for cost effictiveness reasons I would think

 

We had a few people come in with their Auris' that rolled away when the model was first launched. They don't use drums inside disc so the caliper is cable operated for the handbrake. If it wasn't applied enough, when the discs cooled the pads wouldn't grip.

 

I've never had this happen but I always turn wheels to the kerb and leave in gear as thats what I was told when I younger, I still do it in brand new cars, but people are not told that anymore and take that it sould not happen.
Unlucky with the Fiesta

 

Because most of us here drive "older" cars yes we do leave them in gear I would bet significantly more than 50% of all drivers do not!

 

Stupid idea from some manufacturers to do it this way. Like others have mentioned, the best way is to have the disc for braking and a drum/shoe setup inside the disk bell for handbrake. Ford don't have the handbrake shoe setup on some models and they use the disc for the handbrake too. I work on a lot of ford transit connects, when they switched over from drum to rear disc a couple of years back I started getting drivers telling me they'd had them roll off after a while.

I'm over careful anyway, no matter what I'm in. If I park on a hill I always turn the wheel so if it could roll it'd hit the curb, but I'd leave it in gear too.

 

A lot of jap cars have the handbrake/shoes in the back of the discs like a drum.

 

Yea, my old Vectra was like this.

OP, had he been caning the car before parking up? Still wouldn't say it was his fault, just interested if it makes enough difference to mean the problem is not so common.

 

This isn't a new problem, it's been happening for at least 20 years.
Seem to remember Renault were the first with major problems.

 

citroens with parking brake on front wheels were rife for this years ago.

 

Happens with cossies too,,, surprised nobody mentioned it ?

In the hand book it states you need to press the brake pedal when applying the handbrake as the discs cool they get smaller and if the handbrake is applied loose the vehicle might not be secure

Something like that anyway

 

Why's this keep coming up? Bloody virus no doubt

 

Hi thanks for the reply's
yeh I would guess enthusiastically driven the 20 miles there would be correct statement


It is an ST after all and yes as I said, I grew up in the late 70s and 80s with Mk1 escorts with no handbrake to speak off the day it passed an MOT

But you would have thought a brand new car and new top spec design would be bomb proof. and if the brake was fit for purpose at the point it was parked, it would stay that way.. He is a 22 year old fit lad, not some weak bimbo or elderly lady after all so must have put some effort into pulling on the handbrake. After all it was a good 20 mins after parking up when it rolled off on a very slight incline. God forbid if it had been a 1 in 4

I believe it is the reason automatic applied electric servo brakes are coming in to apply more force, although they are not fool proof after work colleagues manual Passat rolled off while he was signing in at security and rolled off into a JCB with keys in his hand

 

It is fit for purpose,, you press brake pedal when applying the brake so thus don't happen or you give it a big pull to make sure handbrake is applied but press brake pedal and its piss easy to pull handbrake 2 extra clicks

Ps: a few members of staff have ST's and they have not rolled down a hill by applying it correctly

I understand how pissed off I would be about it but unfortunately its drivers error just like when you open your door on a high curb ( done that the day I picked mine up lol)

 

Ps: the good news is the painted bumper is the same as all 2013 fiesta in that colour its just the lower spoiler at the bottom of te rear bumper that is specific to the ST

 

When I leave my transit on anything but a flat road I always put it in gear or walk back to it cos its bugging me that I forgot
I just don't t trust the brakes on it since the hill start is on it
Brake systems need to be simple
The more gadgets you put in the more there is to fail

I don't blame your lad
Fooling car shouldnt just roll off when it feels like it
Certainly not a nice lesson to learn

 

Brick on a piece of rope always works well..

 

Lol at anyone who says "should have put the hand brake on properly".

I'm sure the car wasn't moving when he got out, locked it and walked away?

 

The disc/drum set up may be a good idea but I hate drum brakes, awkward things, personally I've never had a problem with disc operated handbrakes but I am one of those you normally leaves the car in gear.

 

It's not if you have not pressed the foot brake to apply,,, securing the car !

 

This happened to my mate in his 08 Astra van. No way the manufacturer will pay out.

The correct procedure is handbrake on, pump foot pedal then nip the handbrake again.

Guessing this is your first car with rear discs? Expensive lesion to learn for you sadly.

 

Not me
its my 22 year olds and no I haven't paid for it LOL
He can afford it, just a pain as he will loose 5 years NCB plus 600 excess if the insurance dont win it back.

He has had a number of 1.6 focus zetecs plus pug 206 but all shoes on the rear

 

Sorry, well it's an expensive one for your son then.

I sincerely hope you are successful with your claim, but in my experience you will have a tough time. Good luck

 

Never had an issue, never leave it in gear, dangerous IMO.

 

It's a fuck site less dangerous than it rolling away your as bad as BM08

It's standard practise to leave in gear due to cooling of discs, driver error I'm afraid

 

Possibly anything to do with what I said back in April?


https://passionford.com/forum/6228329-post47.html

 

Good news (sort of) is you only loose 2 years no claims per claim not all of them !!!

 

 

Always leave mine in gear on any sort of incline/decline. Force of habit and a bit of common