photo courtesy of fotothing.comIt’s winter and the the conditions are ideal for a day of skiing. Fresh powder, sunny skies, and 20 degree weather. You pack up your Saab 9-5, make the drive to the mountains and park for the day. Or, you drive to the grocery store on a freezing morning, park your car in the lot and spend about 30 minutes shopping for the week ahead. In both of these examples the parking brake is set while the car is parked.
Either of these scenarios will most likely have the same outcome if you are a Saab 9-5 owner. You start your car to warm it up, release the emergency brake, put it in drive, hit the gas and……nothing. Your wheels are spinning, you are skidding as if you left your emergency brake engaged. What is going on? Your e-brake is frozen.
If you are in freezing temperatures, it is not advisable to set the emergency brake on your Saab 9-5 when you park. The brake cables have a tendency to freeze and the only way to get your car home is to tow it and wait until temperatures warm up. Once the car warms up, the braking system will defrost and your stubborn Saab will be fine.
We have seen this happen on Saab 9-5’s repeatedly in the winter. Save your money for Christmas shopping and prevent a hefty tow bill! Do not set your emergency brake while parked on flat surfaces in freezing temperatures.