Electric parking brakes

[One-n-den]

I'd be really grateful for any hints and tips, do's and don'ts for the electric parking brake on my CX-5.
I have a steeply sloping drive down to my garage. I had had the CX-5 three days when I decided to re-park it slightly over to allow more room for my wife's car. I can't be sure whether I left the car in reverse, failed to operate the parking brake correctly, or the brake came off 'early' when I took my foot off the footbrake. Anyway, the net result was that my three-day old car with 67 miles on the clock rolled/drove all of less than a foot backwards, hitting the boss of the rear wiper on the wooden cladding of the garage, smashing the rear screen and creasing the tailgate.
I have since(!) read that one of the interlocks for the parking brake to release automatically is that you should be wearing your seatbelt. Obviously, I wasn't as I was only moving the car on my own drive - but that actually should mean that the parking brake wouldn't auto-release.
I am new to electric parking brakes and trying hard not to hate them with a passion(!), but what do others do, out on the road? Do you generally use that auto-release function? What do you do in start-stop traffic, especially on hills? Can I trust the 'Hill-launch' function, or whatever it's called? With 48 years driving experience and 20 years since even a no-fault accident to my name, I find myself dreading getting out of a tight parking space on a hill, like a learner driver on their first lesson!!

[BigAl]

I too was wary of the EPB, having also had a 2012 model with standard handbrake and living on a steep hill. I must admit to having been put off the idea of EPB by a Toyota Avensis, whose EPB was in a very strange place under the dashboard and worked backwards (push to apply) and whose manual said that it wasn't guaranteed to work below -8C 

Having said that, I've had no issues with it and have got used to it. As you say, it will auto release provided your seat belt is plugged it. However, you can override this by releasing it with your foot on the brake pedal. Presumably, you just need enough pressure for the brake light to activate, rather than enough to engage the brake. (Have never tested this.) I can see how that would allow the car to roll unexpectedly? Sorry to hear what happened, though...

The hill hold I've had on both versions and found it works well. The only gripe to that is if pulling up behind something stationary when going downhill, it's hard to stop accurately as you tend to brake to a stop, decide you want to move forward a bit, release the pedal, nothing happens for a second, then you have to stand on the pedal again. Can make things a bit jerky.

Alan

[One-n-den]

Hi Alan,
Thanks for your very reassuring reply - I intend to persevere with EPB - when I get the car back from the repairer's . In all other respects, I was delighted with the car - a pity you can't pick from a menu of options and ditch the ones yes you don't like!
I've previously had two Honda CRVs from new, but just felt they were getting a bit big and a bit low for a 4x4.
My next mission is to try and find a reasonably priced spare wheel and jack - I'm old enough to be suspicious of these 'make do and mend' pump up kits in the boot these days!

[Anchorman]

We'll all have to get used to them because legislation to make them mandatory is coming. The beauty of them is that when a little old lady operates it, she does it with the same force as a big bloke.

I tend to treat mine like a normal parking brake but without the lever. I do drive away from it when I'm out and about but I release manually when I'm moving it about on the drive etc. It won't automatically release unless power is applied to the accelerator.

Sorry to hear about your calamity. I would be gutted too.

[xtrailman]

I have only had this car with a EPB and apart from the extra mechanical and electrical complication i find it works logically and well with a auto.

I don't use the auto release and just hold on the foot brake while driving, unless stops are exceptionally long, then i use neutral and the hand brake.

Parking is always in park with EPB on, unless i'm in my garage and the brakes are wet, then i just use park with hand brake off.

[One-n-den]

Thanks to Anchorman and Xtrailman for your comments - both appreciated. I was an 'X-trail man' by the way, with a 54 reg X-trail, which I loved, but when Nissan changed the body shape and increased the overall size substantially, I moved to Honda CRVs. My latest was an auto model and gave me no problems over 5 years from new. When the time came to change, I went for the CX5 as CRV's seem to have gone the way of X-trails - bigger and lower. The CX5 seems to have the best ground clearance in its class, for instance.

[xtrailman]

I still miss the 2004 Xtrail. 

[Anchorman]

I used to be a Nissan man, had Primeras that were superb in their day but I can't just get my head around the current product which has way too much French content for my liking.

[xtrailman]

I had two 2L petrol Primeras, great drivers cars.

Neither one had an EPB. (Keep on topic)