Rolling in park? Anyone else?

StaceyBahr · Feb 3, 2015

Twice now my car has rolled after I put it in park. The car started rolling as I was getting out both times. Luckily I was in flat parking lots both times and was able to stop the car. I'm concerned and very careful to set the parking brake now.

Has anyone else experienced this?

jsongster · Feb 4, 2015

Set your parking brake... and get that car to the dealer.

mtndrew1 · Feb 4, 2015

How far did it roll? A few inches can be normal depending on circumstances in any car.

I can hear my parking pawl "click" sometimes as I'm getting out of the car and it moves a bit, maybe an inch?

If it's actually rolling a significant distance before the parking pawl kicks in be sure to report it at safercar.gov so that NHTSA can keep an eye on it before anyone gets hurt and get that thing to a service department!

EVFan · Jul 1, 2015

I have experienced this same problem where after putting the car in Park it will start rolling as if it was in neutral.

This has happened to me four times over the first 330 miles of the car. It seems random as I have not been able to regularly reproduce the problem although 4 times over this few of miles is too much for my liking.

I just took it back to the dealer and they called in the issue to Kia. Evidently, they are going to send out a field technician to the dealer to examine the car. We will see what they come back with but this could be a potentially dangerous defect.

Has anyone else experienced this problem?

mtndrew1 · Jul 2, 2015

Could you elaborate on how far it rolled? Inches? Feet? How do you ultimately resolve the problem when it happens?

Are you certain the shift lever was firmly in P?

mtndrew1 · Jul 2, 2015

Also, PLEASE go to Safercar.gov and report this to NHTSA so they can open a case. This would be the first step towards a recall in the event something was defective. A problem like this, if not user error, could kill someone.

EVFan · Jul 2, 2015

When the car is in this state it will roll as far as gravity will allow it or you push it. It acts the same as if the car was in neutral.

If you put it back in Drive and then back in Park it will resolve itself and correctly be in the Park state. I am sure this is not a user error problem.

I would definitely recommend using the parking brake for this model.

mtndrew1 · Jul 2, 2015

EVFan said:
I would definitely recommend using the parking brake for this model.

Yikes. I will begin doing just that.

rjdel · Jul 2, 2015

Mine (2015) has done this a couple of times as well.
It seems to have to do with shift lever going into Park. When this happens, if I push forward on the shifter just a bit, I hear it click. Seems maybe to be a switch or position sensor not fully engaging when shifted into park.
Now that I am more deliberate about putting firmly into Park, I do not have the issue..but it is disconcerting and I plan to get it addressed when I have time.

fanbanlo · Jul 5, 2015

Just happened to me today. Just read the manual they did say one Should use the emergency brake.

aardvark7 · Jul 21, 2015

You should always use the parking brake for ANY car, whether EV or not, automatic or not, when you stop for any time. That includes at junctions and traffic lights.

I'm always horrified when watching American TV (drama or reality) that show cars rocking after the people get out because they haven't used the brake.
This is bad practice in terms of safety, wear and tear, and consideration for others. In some respects it's astonishing and rather worrying that people who have learnt to drive are not aware of the ramifications.

tractioninc · Jul 21, 2015

aardvark7 said:
You should always use the parking brake for ANY car, whether EV or not, automatic or not, when you stop for any time. That includes at junctions and traffic lights.

...What? My daily commute is just under 40 miles (60 km) and includes many intersections and much stop-and-go traffic. Using the parking brake at each pause would be silly. The parking brake is for parking. Or for drifting

aardvark7 · Aug 4, 2015

I repeat, if you stop for any length of time you should use the parking brake.
Not only is it a safety issue, but also one of courtesy as otherwise your brake lights may be dazzling people behind.

Then again, how many motorists are courteous these days... :x

mtndrew1 · Aug 4, 2015

aardvark7 said:
I repeat, if you stop for any length of time you should use the parking brake.
Not only is it a safety issue, but also one of courtesy as otherwise your brake lights may be dazzling people behind.

Then again, how many motorists are courteous these days... :x

What on earth?!

Are you implying that at a red light drivers should engage the parking brake and release their foot from the brake pedal? In two decades of driving I don't believe I've ever seen anyone do this even once.

Are you in the US? About 95% of cars here are equipped with automatic transmissions and, as such, every single car waiting for a stoplight has the brake lamps illuminated. It would be very bizarre to come up behind a row of cars and have any of them with their brake lights extinguished while they're waiting for a light.

I'd bet a dollar that maybe, at most, 5% of drivers engage the parking brake more than once a month in any circumstance. It's just very very uncommon and if Kia is assuming that drivers will be setting the brake every time they shut off the car they'll be in for a very rude recall scenario in the event that the cars start rolling away.

EV2016 · Aug 4, 2015

Well I think you'd lose that dollar. Everyone I know uses the parking break before they get out of the car. Now at a stoplight is probably overkill because you have your foot on the brake, but when you get out you are at the mercy of the transmission and gravity. The extra precaution of using the emergency brake or parking brake, is just good practice. Isn't it kind of dumb NOT to use it? I didn't always use it either until one day I got out of my truck at a fast food joint. I had been sitting there idling while trying to decide what I wanted and collect my wallet from the center console. I got out and went in and ordered. When I looked back the truck was in the middle of the parking lot. I had parked on a hill and since it was a manual transmission I was idling in neutral. I got out and forgot to put it in gear. If I had been in the habit of using the parking brake the truck wouldn't have moved. Luckily there was another slope on the other side or it would have rolled right out into the street. You can't even argue it's hard to use in the KIA. Pull up on the little lever to set it and then just shift out of park and it automatically releases it. Can't get much simpler than that.

mtndrew1 · Aug 4, 2015

I can't even remember the last time I've seen someone use a parking brake in any circumstance, let alone while waiting at a red light.

I agree it's the prudent thing to do when parking, but the only reason I bother in the Kia is because of this thread. FMVSS mandates that the parking pawl must hold the car on any incline while in Park, if I'm not mistaken, and I think the majority of the population has gone to just relying on Park. Kia would almost certainly lose against the NHTSA if the cars are indeed rolling away on their own while in the Park position.

When the Toyota scandal happened a few years back and everyone was convinced their cars were out to kill them, I remember the looks of astonishment around the office that there was a secondary brake at all on their Toyotas and that it could be operated in an emergency. These are college educated people. Most had never activated the parking/emergency brake since taking delivery of the car.

The last time I used a parking brake regularly was when I last had a car with a manual transmission, which has of course gone the way of the Dodo these days.

Tom · Aug 5, 2015

I never use any parking brake!
.....there is a exeption: At steep hiils

Let's turn it the other way: What is the P (Parking position) for?
Must be for something, otherwise I park in N and set the parking brake.

AND ha ha. good luck with set the parking brake all the red lights wit any cadillac (they have automatic parking brake release) so you have to go to P first.....hope it is still green if you done with all this fancy stuff

aardvark7 · Sep 16, 2015

To answer my American friends, yes, I do use the Parking brake at lights if they are on for any time.

It is not difficult, it's courteous to those behind, sensible, and more safe. When parking it is completely in accordance with the manufacturers advice. Indeed, they specifically state that you can damage the transmission if you let the car rest on it. I suggest you check all your manuals, Tom!

As to the Cadillac comment, I thought this was a Soul EV forum? As it happens the Soul EV is an automatic release too, which makes it very easy to use.

But even if you think I'm ignorant of such things, the very first car I personally owned was a Camaro Z28, automatic, left hand drive with pedal operated parking brake and I behaved then (even though I was a callow 19 year old) exactly as I do now; it's called driving correctly.

iletric · Sep 16, 2015

aardvark7 said:
To answer my American friends, yes, I do use the Parking brake at lights if they are on for any time.

I'm speechless...

But I do put lever in P when it's a long red light (2 min or so). But definitely not as courtesy, just too lazy to sit on the brake for 2 minutes. Leaf had it perfect, all you had to do is push a button and your were in P. Soul (and Spark) needs to change this "lever" thinking, and look long and hard at the Leaf knob.

On the other hand, I never blink waiting at the light, and start blinking when I start moving. I don't want to listen to it and I think it's uncool to blink at the driver behind me, as I know it's quite annoying.

aardvark7 · Sep 17, 2015

It would seem that you do not know how to drive properly or courteously.

Then again, your post just seems to be its own vehicle for providing web links. Do you get paid for such nonsense?

Rolling in park? Anyone else?

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