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electrical parking brake fault

24K views 32 replies 7 participants last post by  Shahid 
#1 ·
Hello, i recently purchased a 60 plate 1.3 exclusiv Astra, and although i am reasonable pleased with the car i have a strange issue with the electrical parking brake. When i test drove the car it had this message but the dealer intended to service the car before i picked it up on Saturday, which they did. However i now have the Service vehicle soon message which they are going to sort this week but i have a stranger issue with the electrical parking brake fault it only comes on when i turn the lights on. As soon as i turn the dial the message comes up, then if i turn the lights off the message goes away. What could be causing this?
 
#2 ·
On the J certain systems are vulnerable to issues when the battery is low. Systems such as stop/start, EPB, etc. need the car to meet certain criteria like a minimum temperature, minimum battery charge in order to function correctly. My first guess would be to take a look at the battery/alternator as it seems that the action of switching the lights on is enough of a drain for the car to register that there is an issue. it might not be the solution but it is worth a look.
 
#5 ·
I've only tried with the engine running, whilst I’m driving, when the parking brake has no reason to operate. With the daytime running lights on its ok but when I switch to side lights or main lights I get the error message about the parking brake. if I pull up and stop and try to apply the parking brake it doesn't appear to function, until I turn the lights of and the message disappears. Seems odd as I’d have thought the DRL were using more power than the sidelights.
 
#12 ·
Hope so it's going in tomorrow. Just out of curiosity how long should the led lights stay on in the car I've just been out to check the charger and they're still on. I mean the ones on the steering wheel and center console. The locks and light switches. Battery is now reading 13.4v
 
#20 ·
Doesn't happen with mine. All dash lights, steering wheel control lights, etc go out when the car is locked. However I can make the LEDs light up on the CD400 stereo by trying to open the boot with the car locked.
 
#23 ·
No it only seems to happen with the lights, i noticed yesterday that i got a light alignment message (left side i think) but it flicked up and disappeared before i could read it properly. The light switch to dim the console lights doesn't appear to make a difference to i'm wondering whether the switch is faulty, shorting something out and that means the parking break can't get enough power.
 
#25 ·
No it only seems to happen with the lights, i noticed yesterday that i got a light alignment message (left side i think) but it flicked up and disappeared before i could read it properly. The light switch to dim the console lights doesn't appear to make a difference to i'm wondering whether the switch is faulty, shorting something out and that means the parking break can't get enough power.
 
#28 ·
Looking at a lighting diagram the light switch simply earths various cables from the body control module and depending which cable is earthed the bcm operates the appropriate lights. I am unsure whether the electronic parking brake uses the bcm so can't tell if the two systems are linked to that. The only common place I can think of is the engine fuse box so there could be water ingress there perhaps.
 
#29 ·
As suggested earlier in this thread, I'm going to disconnect the batter tomorrow morning so i'll have a look around, will there be any glaring signs if water has found its way into the fuse box, other than blown fuses? Then its of to an auto electritian in the week and booked in on the 15th to have the trip computer activated.
 
#30 ·
Finally got the car back on Friday, and apparently loose wiring was the cause. Not convince as I've notice a new handbrake switch. But i'm guessing most of the issues i was having were symptoms of the same problem. Now my instrument lights turn on and off with the headlights, the interior lights no longer flicker and my stereo doesn't last signal and the parking brake sucessfully releases when i find the biting point more often.

Now to fit parking sensors, turn on the trip computer and plan for folding mirrors.
 
#32 ·
This is identical to the current service parking brake thing I have going on right now, I just thought it would be the battery as I had never changed out the battery since buying the car in 2015 (2012 plate) but I got a brand new battery installed and still this issue persists.

sometimes I can go a week or 2 without seeing it, sometimes I’ve went months actually and no warning but then all of a sudden it will come back and come on and off, guarantee I can get it to go off if I turn off the headlights

the problem is last time I took it down because it can go off for ages the garage will run a diagnostic and find nothing as there is no warning at that time, so is it a wiring issue then??
 
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