Vauxhall Signum / Vectra Handbrake / Hand brake problem

[rhys1376]

Hi,

I own a 2006 Vauxhall Signum Elite CDTi (150) registered May 2006.

On March 1st 2007 the vehicle was parked outside my partners house on a reasonable slope. The vehicle was parked and the handbrake applied. I then locked the vehicle and went across the road to see my partner in her shop. approximately 3-4 minutes later I came back to her house and the car was in the same position, indicating that the handbrake was still applied. I then went into the house and was speaking to the carpenter that was carrying out some work. Then about 10 -15minutes later my partner phoned me to inform me that my car had rolled down the road into two parked cars.

When I came out of the house the car alarms were going indicating that the impact had just occurred. When I reached my car the handbrake was fully disengaged at the bottom position.

I was the only person with access to the keys. Also the car had no rear impact damage to indicate it had been hit by another vehicle.

Luckily there was no bodily injury to anyone, but that is purely down to luck rather than anything else.

I know the handbrake was applied and the fact the car was stationary for at least 15minutes proves this fact as the slope was indeed such that if the handbrake was not applied the vehicle would role instantly.

I contact my local Vauxhall dealer to ask if they were aware of the problem, they informed me that they would ring me back. But I have yet to have a reply.

However, as I have been unable to go to work today to the car, I have looked on the internet and I have quickly found several other people who have had similar experiences if not identical to the handbrake disengaging after being applied.

Someone was also killed in February 2007 in Manchester relating to a similar set of circumstances. I am trying to get a list of owners together to go to Vauxhall to make them take notice.

[vectra_handbrake]

This has happened to two many people know.
Vauxhall need to take resposability for their action or lack off.

[Sidewinder]

See if you can watch last night's Watchdog programme on the BBCi player.

They investigated exactly this last July and Vauxhall agreed to look into the problem. It is common to Vectra C models, Signums and now apparently Corsas. Vauxhall owners have already raised the issue directly in many hundreds of cases.

Announced on the programme last night, Vauxhall have agreed to a recall (for models less than 2 years old I think - around 250,000 vehicles) for a modification to the handbrake by way of an additional spring being fitted. No timetable as yet, but dependent on parts, Vauxhall will be in touch with those affected, but it may be worth speaking to your dealer anyway.

In the meantime, it has been proven that the fault will only occur if the handbrake is applied whilst depressing the release button. In doing this it is possible for the teeth to disengage and the handbrake to release. Apparently if the handbrake is applied 'milkman' style (for those old enough to remember!) by just pulling up so that the ratchet is audible and not silently by pressing the button, then the teeth will engage properly and the brake will not disengage whilst unattended.

Vauxhall also advise that when parked the vehicle should always be left in gear (in line with Highway Code guidance) to prevent it rolling should the brake disengage, particularly when left on a slope.

You will need to pursue Vauxhall on the issue of a known fault causing damage to other vehicles and any impact which this may have on your insurance premiums, but I guess you will have a fight on that front as others also have.

Hope this helps.

PS - Only just noticed that the post above was in response to a matter raised almost a year ago - d'oh!

[spike381966]

I too have just experienced this problem for the second time
first time no damage to anyone as the car was moving really slowly
so i put it down to the fact that i hadn't put the hand break on good enough

this time car was parked for nearly three house before it rolled into next doors car causing £300 worth of damage. I was unawear of the problem until this evening when a friend told me about the issue, and it looks like the internet is rife with owners experiencing this issue. I appreciate that the standard procedure is to leave the car in 1st/rev gears however you don't expect such a fundamental part of the car to fail regardless. Both me and my wife looked through the window before opening my car just to verify that the handbreak was indeed still on.

I bough the car in dec and had a full service done, the cars MOT was done last sept and no isues were brought up in any of these test. I have just had it into the garage yesterday to test the effectiveness of the handbreak and they cannot find anything wrong with it at all.

I will be please to sign any partition that makes Vauxhall sit up and acknowledge this issue

Regards Mike