Hi All,

First time on here! My 2013 RRS started making strange noises when applying and disengaging the parking brake. A day later it’s stopped working altogether and won’t disengage. I intended not to use it until I got to a mechanic - however yesterday I applied the stupid thing without thinking - force of habit I guess!

A quick ‘google’ lead me to the manual release procedure but despite my efforts it wouldn’t release. Encouraged by advice that it may need some ‘brute force’ I endeavoured only to snap the black and red plastic lever that holds the cable. Whilst the black and red lever mechanism still operates it has sheared from the metal frame it was secured to.

As a consequence I can now lift the red and black plastic mechanism and cable up out of the cup holder location. Despite operating the mechanism it still refuses to work. I’ve tried attaching mole grips to the bare cable and pulling but this still doesn’t work.

Oddly when I pull on the cable the rotary gear shifter light moves from park to neutral and when I relax the cable it returns to park. This can sometimes prompt ‘gearbox fault’ in the instrument cluster.

I’ve came to the conclusion when the plastic cable holder snapped it pulled the parking cable out too far. Maybe when I’m operating the manual mechanism it’s snagging some wiring beneath the rotary gear selector?

Anyway, as it stands the gearbox is fine, I just find it weird that pulling the park brake cable would make the rotary selector light hop back and forth between P and N.

In a nutshell I just need some sound advice on how to get this parking brake released - is there an option to release it from beneath the car?

Thanks for your time and consideration of the above - I’m on my hands and knees praying for your expert advice!

Assuming you have a 2013 RRS2 and not the RRS1 based on your description of the h/b release lever, you could try this from under the car.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bc3AJsifo...sp=sharing

Cheers
Col

Hi Colin, sorry - my car is a RRS1 - very last of the original shape sir.

My mistake I thought the emergency release cable for the park brake on the RRS1 just had a ring on the end of it, and you used the hook part of the jack handle to give it a good pull. Are you sure you are not pulling on the emergency park lock release cable lever for the auto transmission? that could explain the gear shifter light/park issue.





Cheers
Col

Col - I’m ashamed to say you could be correct - I’ve been yanking the hell out of that thing in your picture! Where on earth do I find the loop sir?

I found some information you had previously posted on this matter Col. I have located the steel wire loop beneath the parking brake switch. I’ve had the Jack handle hook through the loop with a screwdriver at the other end. Despite my efforts it still won’t budge - mostly because whenever I pull hard the Jack handle strikes the metal frame inside the console. How far should this metal cable come out? At present it moves an inch and a half which leaves most of the Jack handle deep inside the centre console - making it virtually impossible to give it a decent ‘yank’