club.liberty.asn.au

I have a 2013 Subaru Liberty GT. It has a 2.5 engine and a turbo, but I am not sure of themore detailed model info.

Anywy, it has an electric handbrake. I discovered that if I left the handbrake on and put my foot on the accelerator pedal, the car would relese the handbrake and take off. But then I tried the other day and it would not work.Then I tried again later and it did work. The only difference I could see was that when it worked I was on tarmac, and when it did not work I was not.

What is the story here?

Thanks for any help

Nick

Was your seatbelt on when it didn't work?
I drove a vw in Europe within,electric handbrake. It wouldn't release if the driver's seatbelt wasn't done up...

If you left the hillhold function on then yes it will take off when you acccelerate.

AH Ok.I will check that out.I thought I had tried that and nothing lit up or went out when I pressed the button. I hope I haven't got an intermitternt fault.

Thanks

Nick

HAH! The reason "nothing was happening" was that I watching the button itself, not the dashboard...and the dashboard indicator was right behind the steering wheel for me.

But I went out onto the road and made sure the hill start was working and still it would not take off with the HB on. Then I drove down the road a way and tried again, and it worked.

In my defence, this is my wife's car and I have only driven it maybe 20 times in 2+ years.

Nick

Glad to be of service

You can also release it by pressing the brake pedal and pulling on the handbrake switch. I discovered this AFTER getting stuck and realising there's a big sticker next to the switch with instructions.

fedaykin wrote:You can also release it by pressing the brake pedal and pulling on the handbrake switch. I discovered this AFTER getting stuck and realising there's a big sticker next to the switch with instructions.

Ok yeah got that.That is what I usually do. Otherwise I would have been stuffed, eh?

Still trying to work out why the Hill Start only works sometimes.Anyone know?

Nick

OldNick wrote:

fedaykin wrote:You can also release it by pressing the brake pedal and pulling on the handbrake switch. I discovered this AFTER getting stuck and realising there's a big sticker next to the switch with instructions.

Ok yeah got that.That is what I usually do. Otherwise I would have been stuffed, eh?

Still trying to work out why the Hill Start only works sometimes.Anyone know?

Nick

Were you on a hill?

Also it might have something to do with the sequence you are engaging the handbrake - engine on/off etc.
If you engage the handbrake when engine is running it possibly registers that you want to "hill start".
But if handbrake is engaged once engine is off, and then engine turned on again, it might not recognise this situation as a "hill start".

The handbrake, well park brake, releases automatically only if you have the seat belt clicked in. Hill start is the button next to it, which works on inclines.

You might have a flapping seat belt sensor? That's the only thing I can think of.

OK I will jump in the cart and try all this stuff. But when I tried it last time, it seemed pretty random, on the same drive and about a minute apart.

I have had the park brake auto-release on both flat and inclines. And also fail to auto-release on flat and inclines.

Nick

Simple as. Yes it's the seat belt, thanks fedaykin. No sequences, nothing to do with the hill start (which AFAICS just holds the car from rolling backwards just long enough to get your foot from the brake to the accelerator).

Funny what you don't spot.I would come home, get out and get the mail, then drive down the drive...no belt.

Anyway thanks guys.

Nick

Good to see you've figured out the issue.
As for the hill start, I've noticed that my car doesn't hold the brakes as much as I'd like to, car still rolls most of the time. In a steeper incline the park brake engages. Maybe something is wrong with mine hahah.