2011 SUBARU OUTBACK Parking Brake Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO RELEASE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. IN ADDITION, THE BRAKE WARNING INDICATOR WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT REMOVED THE BATTERY TO RESET THE VEHICLE AND WAS ABLE TO RELEASE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCE THE FAILURE AND ASSOCIATED IT WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V626000 (PARKING BRAKE). THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO CARLSEN SUBARU (LOCATED AT 480 VETERANS BLVD, REDWOOD CITY, CA 94063, (888) 520-5916) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE EPB MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000.

I TURNED RIGHT INTO A DRIVEWAY WITH A STEEP UPWARD INCLINE AND HAD TO STOP MY CAR BRIEFLY TO SPEAK TO A PERSON HELPING WITH PARKING FOR AN EVENT. MY CAR HAS A MANUAL TRANSMISSION, SO I ENGAGED THE ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE TO HOLD THE CAR SO I COULD GET MOVING AGAIN WITHOUT ROLLING BACKWARDS. HOWEVER, THE PARKING BRAKE ON MY CAR AUTOMATICALLY DISENGAGES AS SOON AS THE GAS PEDAL IS DEPRESSED (OR EVEN, ACTUALLY, TOUCHED AT ALL). BECAUSE OF THE VERY STEEP INCLINE, BY THE TIME I HAD ENOUGH REVS TO ENGAGE THE CLUTCH, MY CAR HAD ROLLED BACK INTO THE STREET BEHIND ME. FORTUNATELY NO VEHICLE WAS PASSING AT THE TIME, THOUGH A SERIOUS ACCIDENT COULD HAVE OCCURRED. I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE NEEDS TO BE MANUALLY DISENGAGED IF THE DRIVER SEATBELT IS UNFASTENED, PRESUMABLY AS A REMINDER TO FASTEN THE SEATBELT. IN THE FUTURE...