You will likely notice your brakes locking up if the ABS control module fails. Amazing car.SQ must be INCREDIBLE. Contact Us Once the plug is out, look for a large black wire right under the Green Relay (Starter Relay) See starter diagram below. For anyone else that would like to experience what I believe J Jones is describing, simply turn off your car and pump your brake pedal. Should I go get it checked and if so, what do i tell the technicians? Only way to start it is with remote start. My new (400 kms) Q8 did that this am. Car won't start, brake pedal hard and won't depress. If your Optima won't start because you can't get the brakes down far enough, then you have the option of overriding the ignition and starting the engine without the brakes. I also agree that you should simply ignore it. This morning when I tried to start my 2012 Focus, the brake pedal felt stiff and I couldn't really depress the brake pedal any further. You might also try replacing the battery in your key fob. Prius Won't Turn Off - Unexpected Reasons and Solutions for the Issue. This is the third time I have had this problem. Because the brakes are vacuum-assisted, and vacuum is only generated when the engine is running, it is normal for the brakes to feel hard when the car is off. The windows don't shut properly and the side mirrors don't fold back automatically. Thanks Jason - I'll look into that. The dealer could not replicate, therefore, there is no problem. Your email address will not be published. If that doesn't work, this article goes over other possible issues: A forum community dedicated to Ford Focus owners and enthusiasts. With so many possible causes of a car not starting and the brake pedal being hard, there is a wide range for what it will cost to repair the problem. Hold the key in the start position to see whether the voltage drops significantly. Older vehicles dont have such problems as they dont depend on brakes to start the car. If the vehicle doesn't start, press the START/STOP button using the key fob. Another cause of a hard brake pedal is faulty power brakes. You can easily diagnose the cause of the issue by following the procedures listed below. Celsy99 If you've tried every other method without success and you're certain that your brakes are faulty, then you'll need to get your car to a mechanic. Your engine is most likely fine, you probably just need to deal with your brakes. This may not be the first symptom. I had the same problem with my CRV. If you press the brake pedal and it won't move, then the brake pedal is not pressed. Try taking off the reservoir cap? From my troubleshooting I've found: 1.) To see if it's sticking, next time it happens keep your foot on the brake and reach under and find the switch and push it in with you finger a couple of times to loosen it up. A hard brake pedal may not be the first symptom that the ignition switch is bad. phoward47 When you do push the brake pedal down it should. Also, check the cars wiring for corrosion or damage. Go to start the car and the brake pedal is very hard to depress. From what you describe that should take care of the issue. You will note it gets more and more difficult until all of the vacuum assist is depleted. Nissan service people had no idea what the problem could be. To begin, look at the ignition switch. Aug 07, 2014 2007 Lexus Es 300 1 helpful 1 answer Depress Brake To Start Engine means pressing the brake pedal, keeping it pressed, and starting the engine. I ran into a problem I've never seen or thought possible. Started Sunday at 06:48 PM, Lexus Owners Club of North America If the brake light switch, neutral safety switch, ignition switch, starter, or brake booster need to be replaced, those would most likely need to be fixed by a car shop. Checking your brakes frequently will help you keep them in working order, and you won't be caught unaware by vacuum leaks or a faulty brake booster. I do not have to press down on my brake pedal very hard to activate the start switch. Keep the brake pedal pressed, then start the engine. It might sound like obvious advice, but sometimes the way to get the car started is to really push on the brakes. By They said the battery had barely any charge left. Such cost is dependent on the cost of the control module and the difficulty of sourcing. The only suggestion I would have is have the dealer check it out. Your brake light switch either needs to be replaced or adjusted. If the brake lights dont come on when pressing the brake pedal, that could be a sign that the brake light switch is bad. A strange new issue has recently started happening where I go to depress the brake pedal to start the car, and the brake pedal is so stiff I can't depress it sufficiently enough to allow the start button to work. Investing in a car cover has many benefits, such as environmental, financial, and A throttle body is responsible for driving air into the intake manifold and sending that air's measured volume to the ECU to match the air's volume with the right amount of fuel. In general, The total cost of replacing a neutral safety switch is anywhere from$100 to $140. Usually, this problem is no cause for worry. This particular car only gives 1 to 1 1/2 applications. Keep holding the odometer button for about 5 seconds until you see the mileage flash. I've read a little about this, but there does not seem to be a viable solution (that I've found). Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. That's BS. The problem is that the brake booster doesn't hold vacuum for three or 4 applications of the brakes after the engine is turned off. If the vehicle wont start when you turn the ignition or press Start/Stop and your car has a remote start, try starting the vehicle using the key fob remote or app. Sometimes, it has the regular travel of about 1-2 inches, and was normal operation as it was when the car was new, and the start button will work fine. I can only speculate on the cause, but the symptoms sound like a text book loss of vacuum. we just had our battery replaced when we bought the car because the battery was brand new but my girlfriend had this problem where the brakes were stiff and the car wouldn't start she ended up starting the car with our remote start fob ??? Come in and enjoy our articles, galleries and information on aftermarket parts for the IS300, IS250, IS350. DMCA Asked about this before but now dealer tells me something different. At any rate it never did prevent me from starting the engine. When the car is off, the battery voltage should be around 12.5 volts. When I reinstall the master cylinder, I did not cross Come join the discussion about SVT performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more! A vacuum hose connects your brake booster to the engine, through which air is drawn to create vacuum. 3. Yes. Then it will go off. Problem, fixed, emergency, smart key problems. Stock HU -> Modded ACM code -> Audiocontrol LC6i -> Planet Audio 4-Chan -> JBL Comps -> ID8 V4. For more expensive assemblies containing the lock the part cost increases to between $75 and $125. You can and will be able to start your car by FIRMLY depressing the brake pedal. The mechanic could not reproduce the issue and send them home without doing anything. Tried to jump it and it still wouldn't start. I still have assist even when my renegade hast been run in a month. Once you depress the brake pedal far enough, you can engage the brake switch and engage your starter and start the car. Subscribe for updates! To test the check valve, remove the line and blow through it. If you hold down the brake for too long before starting the car you will exhaust the vacuum in the brake booster. He said he couldn't start the car when the pedal was stiff. Your car won't start due to a faulty battery, fuel pump, starter motor, or ignition switch. Leave it in the shopping plaza lot while you get your needs or services, go back out to start car, all is fine. The dash lights up, but nav screen area does not. FWIW, one thing that they did mention is that if you depress the brake pedal when the car is off and don't start it, you may have this problem the next time you start it. CarManualsOnline.info is the largest online database of car user manuals. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. We participate in the Amazon, Advance Auto Parts, eBayaffiliate programs and may earn a commission when you purchase using links on this site. Have you taken it in to the dealer and see what they had to say about it? When they don't know or they can't fix then they will tell you that's the design, nothing wrong. You will note it gets more and more difficult until all of the vacuum assist is depleted. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. How can the two things be related? Corrosion in the battery terminals can also be the reason behind stiff brakes. We have had five instances where the TH will not start due to the brake pedal not depressing. Donna Chaput So the brake does affect the starting of the car in a sense. Required fields are marked *. She got back in the car again and tried again. Many repeated attempts do not depress it, but finally, it will, and all seems well. Search in HONDA CIVIC HYBRID 2013 9.G Owners Manual online. However, if your car is an automatic one, try switching to park mode. While aweak battery may have enough powerto unlock the doors, it may not allow the Body Control Module (BCM) and Immobilizer to boot up and run properly. If the gear selector can not signal the engine control unit (ECU) that the transmission is in Park, the car wont start. Mine did start with stiff pedal. It's normal to have light surface rust on a rotor that can form pretty quickly, even overnight, but this has no impact on the brakes and wouldn't cause a hard pedal. If you're having trouble starting your car, and your brakes seem stiffer than normal, then you can relax. Labor costs vary between $100 and $175. Faulty brakes must be handled promptly because the car is unsafe to drive with the brakes in this condition. Your brakes can lock up due to a bad, failed ABS module. It only does this after sitting overnight 2.) Its likely that the car has had difficulty starting in the past before the starter motor catches and fires the engine. . Press the brake pedal and look for the brake lights. There is a procedure to start the engine without using the brake pedal. Sometimes the Brake pedal does not feel right and the car will not start, here is the Override start Procedure. When the car is off, the battery voltage should be around 12.5 volts. Inspection of the circuit requires thorough checking of the battery, fuses, wiring, relay, and ignition switch. If your brake vacuum is exhausted, then you'll feel your brakes soften up once the engine starts running. I was in the garage and it just feld odd that brake didnt press the way they normally do. So if you depress the brake pedal just once after the engine is turned off the booster loses all of its vacuum and the brake pedal is hard to push. If your vehicle displays Depress Brake To Start Engine, ensure the gear selector is in the Park position , press the brake pedal down hard, and then push the engine switch to start the engine. I am not sure what i did but i jingled it a few times and it started. What happens is, you get in the car, push on the brake (but it won't go down), try to push the start button, and of course it won't start because the brake is not depressed. No, unless an automotive technician has bypassed the brake switch. Information published on YOUCANIC is accurate and correct to our knowledge; however, there may be omissions, errors, or mistakes. Team Depress Brake To Start Engine may come on in many makes, including Acura, Audi, BMW, Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, Chrysler, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Honda, Volkswagen, Volvo, etc. Usually, theres no physical object blocking the pedals. If the answer is always "take it to the dealer", then I ask, what is the purpose of this site? Most modern cars require you to press the brake to start the car. I can do them in 5 minutes or less. Can't start a car without depressing a brake. It only happens when the car has been sitting for several hours and once the car is started, it is OK. On most cars pumping the brake pedal while the car is off builds up pressure in the line and that pressure doesn't release until the car is started. So what I'd like, is to figure out a reliable way to get it to start the first time. madiro The process is very quick and takes less than a minute. Start the automobile engine and see if the brakes remain firm or on. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission, which supports our community. Then its time to identify the problem through a thorough inspection. The car won't start and the clock is running circles and a message came up on the instrument cluster reading "Reduced braking power start engine'' in red font. I haven't had the problem since. To tell if a fuse is blown, pull them out one at a time, and look at the connection between the two terminals. Vacuum is generated when the engine is running. Sounds like a vacuum leak. I had this problem and the brake light switch needed to be replaced. Archive - This is not the case however. Dec 2, 2019. the brake light switch and its many functions. This site is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Push the start button and car stumbles, but starts. The rotor only spins when I push the brake now. With that said, we hope that you will be successful in fixing the issue by yourself. Investigating more closely and doing a battery voltage test will clarify whether the starting problem is due to the battery. It's FREE! We hope you find the Depress Brake To Start Engine guide helpful. Started Yesterday at 03:02 PM, By J Jones' may be describing "very hard" because it is unusual for him/her to have to apply more effort than usual. But i cannot remember what the fix was, I traded in for a new 2017. It is an automatic. Terms of Service - The labor cost for such fixing is typically around $80 to $120. OK I tried the brake thing this morning after car sat all night. Once this happens the pedal becomes incredibly stiff. Using a paperclip is bad advice. When and how was it discovered that Jupiter and Saturn are made out of gas? Also break pedal is very hard to press when this is happening Answered in 5 minutes by: Lexus Mechanic: AMD AMD : Discounted prices and Hassle-Free Return on genuine Acura parts. Other than quotes and umlaut, does " mean anything special? A brake vacuum booster is an expensive fix. If the computer does not receive this signal, either because the brake pedal isn't being pressed hard enough or because the brake light switch is bad, the car won't start. Apart from a stiff brake pedal, another sign of a faulty brake booster is weaker braking. A car without depressing a brake run in a sense such cost is dependent on cost! Forum community dedicated to Ford Focus owners and enthusiasts possible issues: forum. Override start procedure car again and tried again did that this am it and it won & # x27 ve. Corrosion in the brake switch and engage your starter and start the car and won & # x27 ; start! Replacing a neutral safety switch is bad up due to the dealer see! 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