mikeinatlanta

Not piling on to the OP. What can happen when putting the truck in park while moving is that the pawl does not fully engage. This leads to chipping the corner off and now the pawl will not hold no matter the grade. The pawl is damaged and must be replaced.

mrv99

I think we establish the OP made a mistake by not putting on his P brake when loading the boat. Yes that could have put undo stress and caused damage which causes his truck to not hold still in park. What I find amusing is the comments about using the P brake every single time the car is in park.

There are hundreds of millions of cars on the road who's drivers do not use the parking brake when simply parking. If you are supposed to do that every time, can you tell me where in the ford manual that it states the P brake should be used every time you exit your truck. I read the manual and do not recall where it states that

klen

I "always" use the parking brake at the ramp, but have occasionally forgotten or jumped out to do something quickly and didn't set it. The OP's story helps me realize how important it is and I appreciate him sharing the story for that reason - whether or not there is an issue with his brake. I don't understand why people flame others in threads like this - why not just learn from his bad experience and move on?

seadragon

Slipstream

I kind of expect a mix on posts anyway. I was looking for some insight on what happened. Got it -- the prawl and pic makes it clear and I know there is a recall on this. And a reminder for others, which clearly everyone already knows anyway. I've never experienced this in 40 years of driving, so maybe I was overdue. I'm good. Thanks

tmcolegr

There already is a recall.

Richard W

Here it is ...



... but it does not make it a legal requirement. It is the best practice based on many factors and legalities. What is more important are the state highway laws. Many/most states require a driver to set a parking brake whenever leaving a vehicle. One example from Texas Transportation Code:

§ 545.404. UNATTENDED MOTOR VEHICLE. An operator may not leave the vehicle unattended without:

1. stopping the engine;
2. locking the ignition;
3. removing the key from the ignition;
4. setting the parking brake effectively; and
5. if standing on a grade, turning the front wheels to the curb or side of the highway.

Same here ... it is SOP for me. Not sure how one learns about it and what makes one practice it ... common sense, proper driver education, predisposition for safety, understanding of legal responsibility and liability that comes with it, or a combination of it all.

gone postal

The first time the parking brake freezes in one of our fine winters in the northeast will cure most anyone of using the parking brake. I have a strong dislike of having to use a torch to heat up the parking brake to get the vehicle to move.

I used to use it constantly, Army habits die hard, but the first winter I was home after leaving active duty I parked my truck, put the e-brake on, worked a 12 hour shift, came out, had to use a propane torch to free up the brake. A couple nights later had to do the same on a buddy's ranger.

Haven't used it since unless towing.

Pioneer74

iTrader: (3)

I find this comment funny. I have daily driven a manual transmission Focus since 2003. I set the parking brake every time I parked the vehicle. I drove 3 of them up to 200k miles, in Michigan winters, and never had a problem with the brake.

gone postal

Count your blessings.