Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Tesla emergency break - to use or not on hills?

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
After many months of ownership I just learned that long pressing the right stalk will engage emergency brake. I've always wondered whether we should apply "parking brake" similar to an ICE car. A random redditor brought this up as a TIL and after some research I still can't figure out if we should apply the "emergency brake" when parked on hills or not. So... should we?
 
Are we sure the parking brake activated is not the same listed as emergency brake in your post?

Is the Emergency brake just activated while driving using the same brake system as the parking brake?

Who can do some testing?
 
Are we sure the parking brake activated is not the same listed as emergency brake in your post?

Is the Emergency brake just activated while driving using the same brake system as the parking brake?

Who can do some testing?
 
The parking brake operates on the rear wheels only and is independent from the pedal-operated brake system. From my understanding there is no difference between emergency braking and the parking brake. The press and hold for emergency braking is there so you don't accidentally engage it while driving.

Also to note that the Model Y may display an alert if the road is too steep to safely park on, or if the parking brakes are not properly engaged.

As for testing this out...Tesla mentions in the manual that you should not engage the emergency braking procedure, by pressing and holding the Park button while driving, unless it's absolutely necessary.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CaseyL
When Parking you should always long press and set the parking brAke, just like in an ICE car. Especially on hills.

Only exception might be on flat ground in your driveway if there's a real chance of freezing the brakes to the disks, which is really rare, and may not be an issue for Teslas.

It's like asking if you should put your parking brake on in your manual transmission car, if you also put it in first when you park it.
 
In a automatic transmission, it uses a pin in the gear. On a manual transmission, you leave it in 1st gear. What “braking” mechanism is Tesla using as they don’t have this feature in their motors. I would think the brake it uses is one in the same as the “emergency” brake.

How does it differ from putting it in Park vs applying the Parking brake? More pressure on the brakes?
 
I don’t think Parking Brake uses more pressure. The manual suggests it is a separate mechanical(?) mechanism.

328EF1C2-4AA8-490B-B4D8-DC3D0B44085E.jpeg
 
  • Like
Reactions: SWIPE
In a automatic transmission, it uses a pin in the gear. On a manual transmission, you leave it in 1st gear. What “braking” mechanism is Tesla using as they don’t have this feature in their motors. I would think the brake it uses is one in the same as the “emergency” brake.

How does it differ from putting it in Park vs applying the Parking brake? More pressure on the brakes?
This is my question, too. With ICE cars, 'park' was a mechanical engagement in the transmission. With an EV that's impossible so it must use a mechanical brake. When I put my MY in park I can hear a hydraulic mechanism engage the brake (not unlike the hydraulic parking brake in my A4) I'm not sure what 'setting the emergency brake' would do on top of this.

In an ICE car, the emergency brake is simply a cable actuation of the regular brakes. Unless Tesla has 2 separate sets of brakes on the rear wheels, the emergency brake would just be using the same brakes that Park uses and there's no additional benefit.
It's like asking if you should put your parking brake on in your manual transmission car, if you also put it in first when you park it.
No, see my comment above. Putting an EV in park is not like putting a traditional transmission in park.

Edit:
I went out and played with my MY in the garage - Visually, there is only one set of brake calipers on each wheel. From some further web research I've done, the parking brake is actuated via a screw that mechanically pushes the pads against the discs (vs the hydraulic system.) Aurally, there is no difference between putting the car in park and applying the parking brake from the touch screen display. I also do not hear any activity in the front whether I place the car in Park or activate the parking brake.

My assessment is that the parking brake, the emergency brake and putting the car in park are all functionally the same. The key point is should you be in a situation where the brakes aren't working you can press and hold the park button on the stalk to mechanically engage the rear brakes, regardless of whether the hydraulics are working.
 
Last edited:
OK, maybe. All I know, if I short press the stalk button, is goes to "Park" and somehow holds.

When I then long press, it shows Parking brake set icon, and I hear a winch winding up sound, like it's setting a brake.

I wonder if P ("transmission") actuates the hydraulic brakes, and then a mechanical something actuates on the rears only? Sort of talks about that in the manual.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Lonewulf45
This topic has come up several times before and there is always a lot of confusion.

Pressing PARK electro-mechanically actuates the rear brake calipers, just like many other modern vehicles. Tesla has an additional feature that may or may not apply additional pressure when you press and hold PARK a second time. When I do this on my car, I can hear the caliper motors apply, but I’m unable to determine if substantial additional force is applied.

Also, there is some conflating of terms.

Emergency Brake is when you press and hold the PARK button while the vehicle is in motion. The brakes will release when you release the button.

Parking Brake is when you press the PARK button while stopped, which applies the same brake mechanisms as the Emergency Brake function, but it keeps the brakes applied until you take the car out of park mode. A second application of the Parking Brake purportedly applies more pressure for really steep hills, but language about that has changed over time, and I’ve never heard of a Tesla rolling away on a steep hill.

So, to answer the original question, do you need to do the extra Parking Brake application? Probably not, but if you’re on a particularly steep incline, it wouldn’t hurt.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: OxBrew and AlexHung
[...]

So, to answer the original question, do you need to do the extra Parking Brake application? Probably not, but if you’re on a particularly steep incline, it wouldn’t hurt.
Got it! So it sounds like we don't actually know if it helps but doesn't hurt. I've always wondered parking or stopping on steep hills in SF - it's a disconcerting experience not needing to step on brake lol.