Vectra Handbrake Again

[Catherine]

Have to say I am getting quite disturbed by the handbrake situation on the Vectra.

Last Friday I jumped in diesel Vectra loan car and as soon as I touched the handbrake there was a crack and it fell to the floor.

Today I was on a slope waiting for a truck parked in the middle of the road, I turned off the engine and took the car out of gear only to find I hadn't pulled the handbrake on enough and the car started to roll towards the truck so I went to pull the handbrake up and surprise surprise the handbrake crashed to the floor and the car picked up speed as it rolled towards the truck.

I have to say this is quite worrying. In 12 months this is the 5th occurrance on 3 different Vectras I have had this happen to me and I know I am not alone.

[DaveDempsey]

Have had this a few times at work with our SRi estate, the lever doesnt seem to click properly into position, Ive not had it happen on my VXR yet oddily enough.

[Catherine]

Well I knew I wasnt the only one, Mark (Sparky) has had something similar.

I am not quite sure what we can do about this, have reported it to the dealer who says there is nothing on their Technical Website to suggest there are problems. One day someone's car is going to be damaged or worse still they will get hurt.

[Andyuk911]

Nope, not been a problem ...

[Sparky]

Even the new handbrake is cracking several times when applied. Just waiting for it to fall off now. I no confidence in the system at all. It seems to affect the whole Vectr range.

Vectra-c forum has reported it as well.

[In a state]

I've also had a few "plastic-ey" cracks on applying the hand brake...here's hoping it gets a recall.

[peter-north east]

Vectra Handbrake

In November 2006 i parked up my Vectra 1.9 CDTI SRI in a car park close to a shop i was visiting on business. To my astonishment a man came into the shop about 10 mins after id parked up to tell me that my car had rolled off the car park on to a grassy bank where it rollled down the bank through a fence and crashed into a brick built out house in someones garden.
I was devestated to find my car covered in bricks and tiles from the roof of the outhouse.
Fortunately the owner had left the building minutes before this , otherwise it could have ended in serious injury or worse.
I have been driving for 30 years, with only 1 minor accident in that time, so i consider myself to be a responsible motorist and to this day i am convinced that i had applied the handbrake , as i always do.
I feel that Vauxhall have got some serious questions to answer over this handbrake situation.
Until receiving a letter recently from Vauxhall i have continued to blame myself for this incident, however now i realise that i had not done anything different to what i normally do. (apart from the fact that i now put my car in gear every time i park it up)

[Noose]

I seem to remember watching a TV show talking about the Current Vectra's Handbrake issue. YES there is a definite problem with the handbrake and YES Vauxhall is blaming the owner as... not knowing how to apply the handbrake properly. I think the program that reported this was Watch Dog and Vauxhall have no plans to make a recall.

My uncle in law has a Vectra and I have asked him about the handbrake issue, he said no issues since bought it, so I told him to be extra careful in future as a precaution.

Advice is currently… when parking up see which way the land is sloping and apply the 1st or reverse gear in opposite direction. If land seems flat the in Neutral let go brake slowly to see if car rolls, if rolls then park in 1st or reverse gear opposite to roll. The handbrake can go at any time as the brake mechanism is made by substandard methods and cheaply, cost effect design. Not heard about Vectra VXRs having this problem tho.

[LG_Vxr]

Dad had same problem with his new rs4, it rolled off down a hill and into a fence i think, Had problems with getting it sorted by audi aswell as they said that the manual states it should be left in gear aswell.

[vxr bad boy]

mine had a little to-do once i went to get a sandwich parked outsde da shop, left car on so didnt put car in gear but put handbrake on, when i got back the mrs looked shocked, asked what hapened, she said the hndbrake just dropped and car started to roll nearly into the car in front luckily she yanked the handbrake up and it stopped rolling

dealers just replaced the handbrake cover, touch wood wont happen again.

[Noose]

Found it...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/consumer/tv_and_radio/watchdog/reports/transport/transport_200710241.shtml

and

http://www.which.co.uk/reports_and_campaigns/cars/reports/safety_and_security/Vectra_handbrake_complaints_news_article_557_117480.jsp

also type this in internet seach engine... "Watch Dog vectra handbrake" there is alot to read if u want to know more.

[esscolab]

I know what you mean, I have to pull the handbrake up to the last click before it properly engages, anything less than that the car tends to drift down even gradual slopes.

This is a real design fault on the Vectra, I even got a GM leaflet through the door from my dealer telling me that there had been a concern regarding the handbrake. It advised the correct way is to lift up the arm rest and then apply the handbrake. How shoddy, I have never had to do this with any car before.

The Vectra is a great car, GM's been around 100 years now, you would think they would have perfected a mechanical device such as this by now!

[VXR_Col]

I have always parked my cars in gear, since 1969, but that should be extra security and a handbrake should hold on its own. I am always nervous of pulling the handbrake lever too hard after snapping a Cavelier handbrake cable a few years ago. I usaully get the handbrake to hold when I park, but when everything cools down and I get in for the next journey, the brakes creak when I de-clutch and sometimes the car moves a fraction.

Happy New Year to you all.