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Electronic Parking Brake Failure

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Angie4m
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Electronic Parking Brake Failure

Post by Angie4m » Sat Sep 17, 2016 8:24 pm

zORdead wrote:Wow, the timing is interesting...those 7 that your dealer worked on were all this year? My parking light went amber in August. So including Angie and Mouse that's at least 10 of us with the same fault!...i smell a recall! :fuelfire:
My dealer hasn't had 7 this year but had 7 over the years. It's caused by a very low battery which causes an issue with the sensor at the wheels which needs to be updated.

Still don't agree that a software update is a chargeable to the user/owner.

And seen as so little has been reported it's not justifiable as a 'recall'. Granted a recall is something that is done when the failure could lead to injury etc but as its software there is no guarantees that it won't happen again. It's not like a falling physical component which can be modified and replaced.
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Electronic Parking Brake Failure

Post by sammyz » Sun Oct 02, 2016 4:49 pm

I've now got the 'bong of dread' every time I open the door. The handbrake light is on and the car is telling me that there is a handbrake fault. As far as I can tell the handbrake is working fine. Helpfully the car also told me dynamic emergency braking is still functioning! :)
I think the battery is the original 2009 item so it might be getting near needing replacing. Car starts fine but I wonder if its worth replacing the battery at the same time as getting car's software updated.
Looks like a trip to the dealer is needed :cry:
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Electronic Parking Brake Failure

Post by Angie4m » Sun Oct 02, 2016 5:11 pm

sammyz wrote:I've now got the 'bong of dread' every time I open the door. The handbrake light is on and the car is telling me that there is a handbrake fault. As far as I can tell the handbrake is working fine. Helpfully the car also told me dynamic emergency braking is still functioning! :)
I think the battery is the original 2009 item so it might be getting near needing replacing. Car starts fine but I wonder if its worth replacing the battery at the same time as getting car's software updated.
Looks like a trip to the dealer is needed :cry:
Probably. Is it a DD or a weekend toy? If the latter do you leave auto lights and wipers set? If so, stop doing so as this drains the battery quicker. With mines the handbrake wasn't engaged. No light, pulling the switch did nothing. It held itself on a tiny slope but anything bigger and it didn't like it really. You can get a new battery elsewhere otherwise you are looking north of £250 I think from BMW plus £125 for the software update to update the software. It's farcical really!
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Electronic Parking Brake Failure

Post by sammyz » Sun Oct 02, 2016 5:37 pm

Handbrake seems to engage and disengage fine, red light goes on and off. I can hear the mechanism working. Guess Ill see what dealer says.
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Electronic Parking Brake Failure

Post by sammyz » Thu Oct 06, 2016 4:13 pm

I took the car into an Indy in Liverpool and they updated codes. Checked battery and said it's ok. Hopefully it's sorted now.
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Electronic Parking Brake Failure

Post by witchfinder » Thu Oct 20, 2016 11:13 am

Just had my 59 plate 2.5i diagnosed with the same fault after its MOT fail, £96 for that and a cheeky another £96 both plus VAT I'm going to have to pay for the re-programme (not happy about it) but have no choice to get it thru MOT. OK for the diagnostic check fee but if it's a BMW software fault why am I paying it? Can I do it myself in the future thru the USB port does anyone know?

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Electronic Parking Brake Failure

Post by sammyz » Thu Oct 20, 2016 10:28 pm

I think you would need the programme to 're-install it, it's not just a case of clearing the codes. The Indy checked my battery and said it was still ok but maybe was a little flat when fault happened. But I had just finished a long run up to Northumberland so I don't think the battery had anything to do with the fault. The parking brake was working fine even though the car was saying it wasn't.
So far I've not heard of it recurring after its been reprogrammed but as the cars get older maybe it will happen to someone.
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Electronic Parking Brake Failure

Post by Pandyman » Mon Dec 05, 2016 9:41 pm

Just had an issue which sounds very similar to this, will check the codes tomorrow and see what comes up. By the sounds of it the only 'solution' is to pay for this software update

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Electronic Parking Brake Failure

Post by flybobbie » Wed Dec 07, 2016 9:31 pm

My colleagues car has suffered this failure today. Taken off the drive, sloping, then when she come to re-park it and apply the handbrake nothing. So left it in gear.

I can see this car being parked in a quiet country lane and torched soon, better still leave it on a slope near a cliff!

She turned down an offer by a friendly scrapper to have it crushed last year.

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Electronic Parking Brake Failure

Post by Mr Tidy » Thu Dec 08, 2016 2:43 am

flybobbie wrote:A JLR employee told me that BMW nicked the electronic brake system from them.
So there might be similarities to Disco.
Nicking anything from JLR doesn't look like a good starting point, seeing as S-Type Jaguars have loads of problems with this electronicity. :laugh:

Another reason I wouldn't ever want any E89. :lol:
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Electronic Parking Brake Failure

Post by Jaw » Thu Dec 08, 2016 8:04 am

Sounds like Damage limitation.

The issue won't be due to old software, it will be old software that has a dangerous flaw/failing that they have obviously now rectified. They wouldn't want the drama that surrounds jeeps though re the parking failures..

I wonder how many software updates are done secretly when you go in for a service so they can keep potentially dangerous flaws on the downlow before they're reported...
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Electronic Parking Brake Failure

Post by flybobbie » Thu Dec 08, 2016 11:01 pm

I checked for faults codes but non. The emergency function still works, just the standard park brake function u/s.

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Electronic Parking Brake Failure

Post by 4zwmb » Mon Dec 12, 2016 11:54 am

Hi everybody. Yesterday I encountered the electronic parking brake failure as soon as I entered the car. I have the famous 'P' in yellow and the e-brake does not engage anymore. Neither on off, nor on the on position but currently its on the off position because I can still drive the car. I have read the forum about this and apparently it comes from a low voltage of the battery and makes sense for me because the car was unused for 15 days and my battery is not a new one (5 years so far). I have also read that one has to take the car to workshop so that they can upgrade the software and reset it.

Has anybody used anything different and with success so far? Maybe using some kind of diagnostic obd to upgrade the software? Its costly to take it to bmw for just an upgrade of the software. Any input is appreciated, thanks!

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Electronic Parking Brake Failure

Post by flybobbie » Mon Dec 12, 2016 1:21 pm

The problem with my colleagues car is that she doesn't go in person and try to speak to a techy like I would and try and bypass the service desk drones.
The one she spoke to on the phone, the service desk operative said "the cable may have broken".
True enough it might be a broken wire, but I don't think she meant that.

Half expecting she will have traded it in this week end for a Audi.
I think she will almost give the car away to be shot of it, shame. And be the last BMW she will have.

If this is becoming a common problem then why should people have to pay for a software reinstall.
Software is not a wear item. It doesn't age or shouldn't degrade.
The only people that can introduce a bug is BMW.
What happens if due to handbrake failure the car is left in gear and slips out, rolls off and kills someone.
Who becomes liable?

I never take my car to be serviced by BMW. It's working fine and don't need them, without me knowing tinkering with the software.
My colleagues car has only been back three months since they fixed her roof for the fourth time. So how many software upgrades have been applied?
Last edited by flybobbie on Mon Dec 12, 2016 1:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Electronic Parking Brake Failure

Post by 4zwmb » Mon Dec 12, 2016 1:36 pm

Hey flybobbie...you are right! I cant understand how bmw would do such a flop on an ebrake system!!! I take it I will have to go to bmw and pay for an upgrade in the software, right?

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