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Parking Brake error message / bleep - HELP!!

4K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  DnBtekhnic 
#1 ·
I am a recent convert to Mercedes :bowdown: , bought a 2001 C180 Mercedes Coupe' and gave it a thorough test drive before driving it 150 miles back home. Everything was fine until after about a week, the Parking brake light and audible bleep error message comes on "Parking brake" "Release Parking Brake!" I have checked the brake fluid level, rear brake pads and everything seems fine.
Could it be:-
- a blown fuse? If so, where does the fuse live?
- a faulty brake sensor? If so front or rear brakes
- a sticking brake pad?
- needs re-setting via the management system?
Any suggestions welcomed. :surrender:
 
#2 · (Edited)
Have you pulled the parking brake release handle? On my C230 it's near your left knee in the dash face; has a big letter P on it if I recall; oh, I've got a left drive setup in case you're in Europe. I find that when I'm getting in the car, my feet will sometimes bump the parking brake lever (farthest left pedal in mine), and that seems to be all it takes to register the p brake as on...

PS. I don't mean to be silly by posting this, it's just that from reading your original question it's not obvious whether you've looked into the release handle or any issues with it.... Regards.:)
 
#3 ·
'Parking Brake' error message / bleep - HELP!!

Hi Croaker

Thanks for the reply. Yes I have been releasing the hand brake handle. Even tried sudden braking, slight movement forwards and reversing with the hand brake on, just to try and see if it cures it. :(

Regards - Roy
 
#4 ·
Bummer. Simple solutions are always the best.

From reading a number of DVD installation threads, it seems that most in-car DVD players try to be safe and refuse to show movies in the front unless the car is parked. Your typical human doesn't want to put up with that, and thus clever types have found ways to install a switch in the parking brake wire (mentioned light green in some Mercedes models), so that they can pretend like the parking brake is on while they do 70 down the freeway.

Anyway, from all of that you'd expect there to be a mechanical contact on the parking brake mechanism, and a wire running off of it. Most likely a volatage exists that can be detected when the circuit is closed, and goes to zero when it's off. You might want to verify that the mechanical contact is not simply in need of adjustment.

I've also read that an imbalance in the hydraulic system used by the brakes may lead to a faulty p-brake detection. That seems like something a mechanic would need to track down.

Oh, and you might try a seat-of-the-pants test of shifting into neutral at 45 mph, and seeing if the car feels like there's actually any braking going on. If so, pay to get it fixed sooner rather than later.
 
#6 ·
with my parking brake i noticed especially on cold morning, i have to release it and press it a couple times to get the brake light off the dash...it has to be due to the cold because it doesnt happen in the summer...i dont think it is too big of a deal, my father used to warn me not to use the e brake during the winter anyways...
 
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