HANDBRAKE NOT HOLDING ON THE RATCHET

[markren2004]

A tiny little bit of plastic making the handbrake work, that cannot be right can it.
I am going to try and speak to Renault about it.

do you know if your new replacement one had the same plastic pin in it or has it been redesigned now to be more robust ?

[Larry May]

It is hidden in the handle of the hand break so unless I remove the cover it is not visible.
I would assume that it is the same system as it is a bit of a money spinner.

[Sully]

Help i have a megane, and my handbrake will not hold on the ratchet. Is this a common problem. How do you rectify this problem.

Thank you in advance

I have the same problem with my handbrake. The handbrake failed while parked on a hill in a car park. Luckily two people managed to stop the car and prevent it from hitting another parked car.
Since then the handbrake engages most of the time, but frequently requires a few attempts to engage, and sometimes will release once engaged.
I brought it to a renault dealer in Dublin who quoted €670 [£480] to replace and refit the handbrake assembly (for a handbrake with leather trim).
I brought the car to another renault dealer in Dublin who quoted €290 [£208]to replace and refit the handbrake (black plastic handbrake, no leather trim).
I haven't replaced the handbrake yet, as it is an intermittent problem, and I believe it is possible to repair the part rather than replace it. I removed the handbrake lever trim panel myself and believe the problem is due to a protrusion on the handle not engaging with the teeth on the ratchet.
In my opinion a handbrake should not fail in a four and a half year old car (73,000 miles), and if this is a widespread issue it should be the subject of a recall.

[GreyMeg]

Hi, i have just had my handbrake replaced due to rachet failiure, i got onto Renault customer services and complained that the part should be ''fit for purpose'' and should last longer than 4 years, i was quoted £333 by main dealer to fit a complete new handbrake! Luckily Renault agreed to pay 75% of the cost! So i think they know theres are problem with it, i now have a fault on the computer - it keeps reseting itself every morning!! where will it end...... anyone had this computer problem?

[Pauline R]

Similar story to GreyMeg.
The handbrake wouldn't hold on on my 53 plate Megane which has only done 22,000 miles. My research threw up this topic and I contacted Renault Customer Service saying that such a fault shouldn't be happening on a low mileage car like mine and that it must be a design fault. They booked my car in for diagnosis at Arnold Clark's in Warrington. Clark's liaised with Renault Customer Service who agreed to replace handbrake free of charge (£276-worth)!
So stand up for your rights and get this duff part replaced by Renault (full marks to them for swift, customer-friendly response, by the way).

[wolfie_d]

SOLUTION - mines did this not too long ago and i took it to a garage to see if they could figure out what the problem was. they said id need a whole new handbrake mechanism and quoted me £200 for it. i didnt get it fixed with them and ive had it broken for a while now. just the other day i opened it up and had a look inside the actual handbrake handle. there are two tiny small plastic bits on the bottom half, one rests against the button and the other holds the spring in place, these had both broken off. all you need to do to fix this is get the bottom half off the handle from a scrappy, itd cost at most about £3 cos its just a small bit of plastic, and just fit it in, everything slots into it and it clips into place. its so simple its unbelievable. im glad i never got it fixed at the garage and i want everyone else who has this problem to know that they can do it theirselves. to put it into perspective, its so easy to fix by yourself that my 3 year old niece could sort it and im not kidding

[trotter]

The scrapyards have wised up on this handbrake fault, and now even they charge for the full lever (rather than just the bit of plastic required.
I actually fixed mine for nothing by drilling a small hole in the bottom section of the handle to hold the spring in place, and therefore keeping the handbrake button pushed out until needed. Voila!!!!

Cost = 0
Time = 30 mins

[davelowe]

Trotter /wolfie_d,

I have the same fault with the handbrake not holding. Can you explain in detail how you fixed it?

I have attached a link to a pdf file below that shows photos and some notes on what I have discovered so far.

https://www.adrive.com/public/6be274d789 ... 7390e.html

How do you take apart the leather style handle to fix the spring assembly? You can probably see on one of the photos that I have tried to pry off the plastic trim from the metal with little success.

I will replace the unit if I have to (have Haynes manual) as the MOT is due at the end of May. I found they can be ordered for £92 incl. VAT and delivery by phoning 0800 0741313 but really don't want or need this hassle and cost if there is an easier solution.

Many thanks for reading,
Dave Lowe

[trotter]

Mines a plastic handle,and you can just prise off the top half, the bottom section is held by 2 screws. With the bottom half still in place but with the screw that holds the moving metal lever loosened a little, i just pushed up the spring so the button is under tension and just guessed where i needed to drill a small hole (in the bottom half of the plastic handle) to retain the bottom part of the spring which is normally held by a flimsy bit of plastic (mine had broken off),then i pushed the spring through the hole, and re-tightened the screw that holds the metal lever, and nipped up the other 2 screws. I must have guessed correctly where to drill,as the spring now holds the button out (until pressed)
Finally i put a little superglue on the edge of the top section before securing it to the bottom section - and hey presto.
A bodge job? - maybe
A fortune saved at the main dealers,and a fully operational handbrake? - definitely.

[Leggett]

I had the same problem this weekend... took the handle apart and discovered the plastic lug which holds the spring had broke away. Tried gluing it with polystyrene cement plus the addition of a little platic welding and it didnt hold. Went to Renault Manchester today..... new unit £138+VAT all for an inferior part which must cost pennies! I told the bloke on the spares counter I had searched the internet and its a known fault. He claimed no one else had been in with the problem. I asked if I could specifically order that part...... no full unit only.... so we still live in a wasteful world!!!!
So I will come up with some mod to the part, which will hold the spring because I'm not paying for another sub standard part.

[tallpaul]

How do you take apart the leather style handle to fix the spring assembly? You can probably see on one of the photos that I have tried to pry off the plastic trim from the metal with little success.

any advances on splitting the leather handles??

[mightymin]

I have the same issue, A family friend took it apart but cant put it back together again - has anyone got any pictures of how it should look so I can try do it?

Just been on the phone to Renault Customer Support - spoke to the CSM and he said as the car is outside warrenty they cant fix it for me.. the cars done little over 25k and is a 53 plate

[jonnelliott]

i had the same problem i took it back to renault and they said i needed a new handbreak and quoted me £275 for the leaver and 100 for labour! However i wasnt convinced that it actually needed replaced as the mechanic only looked at it for 30 seconds. if your problem is the same as mne then it can be fixed quite easy without removing the handbreak from the car.
all i did was cut the stitching along the bottom of the handle where the button is with a stanley, then i prised it open with a flat headed screwdriver so i could now see the mechanisim that holds the handbreak in place. basically all that happened was the screw that holds the buton and spring in place had come out leaving the parts to roam free inside the handbreak, after 10 mins messing around with it i figured out how it went back together and continued to fix it which is quite simple.
then simply just close the cover it clips in to place.

[tallpaul]

mine failed its MOT yesterday on both track rod ends, both tie bars, one headlight and guess what, the damn handbrake! Repairs are costing £500 but that includes £40 for the MOT and £316 for the handbrake assembly from the stealers! I'm gonna get the old one back and repair it cos its gotta be worth £50 on eBay!!

[Pieter85]

Hi guys!

There is another thread on this handbrak issue as well, "HANDBRAKE TROUBLE"... I have posted a link there about a possible solution before spending a lot of money replacing that handbrak mechanism (throttle)... I had the same problem on my Megane wrt the handbrake ratchet spring not pushing the ratchet back again to hold the handbrake when pulled up. I will give the link to images here as well...

It envolves a small coil spring that you can use to push the ratchet directly. It costs almost nothing, and works like a charm thus far. Although I have been warned that it will fail again, and I am aware of the warning, but so far, so good. It saved my a lot of maney up to now, and anyone can do it themselves.

Have a look here, if you have any questions, just ask.

here is the link http://www.pbeproducts.co.za/megane_ii_handbrake.htm
Almost forgot to mention, the images open as larger images when clicked on, so it can be viewed larger...

It helps saving something, like at least £200!!! In my country, it's a lot...

Cheers