Tag: parking brakes
29 Posts



Sep 25, 2018
Park, Brake or Parking Brake?
Confusion over order of steps for parking on a hill has this reader rattled

Jun 26, 2018
Man's Driving Habits Grind Wife's Gears
Mechanical advise takes a back seat to marital advice for this reader.


Mar 03, 2015
Did Julia Cause Brake Failure?
Julia's brakes failed, and she had heard that driving with the parking brake on can cause the brakes to give out. Is that what happened to her? See Car Talk's answer and post your own guess, here.

Jul 18, 2013
Husband Vs. Wife: The Grating Parking Brake
Today, Carolyn writes in to ask Tom and Ray to settle a marital dispute. She hates the sound the parking brake makes when it engages. Carolyn's logic is that since you can avoid the the sound by holding in the release button while you engage the brake, this must be better for the car somehow. Her husband doesn't seem to care. Get Tom and Ray's verdict on this important topic, right here.

Jul 04, 2013
Should Parking Brake Use Be a Habit?
Kimi and her husband just bought a car with manual transmission for their son. They disagree about when it's necessary to set the parking brake so they've turned to Tom and Ray to settle the question. Tom offers this life advice: Floss your teeth, call your mother once a week and use your parking brake.

Jun 13, 2013
Click and Clack, Marriage Counselors
Cat needs Tom and Ray to settle a dispute that she and her husband are having about the parking brake. She sets the brake when the car is already in park; he applies the brake, then shifts to park. What's the right way to do it? And can this marriage survive? Find out what Tom and Ray think, right here.

Apr 16, 2013
An Emergency Brake By Any Other Name . . .
Today: Tom and Ray try to enlighten Todd, an emergency brake over-user, about the error of his ways. Find out why it's not a great idea to use this brake for regular stopping, and why it's really called the "parking brake", right here.