Rav 4 - Handbrake

[jalascoo]

I turned on my car and started to back out from my garage this morning. Since I saw there is a yard paper bag on my drive way, so I put the car to neutral and put the handbrake firmly before getting off the car. After I removed the bag, when I was going back my car, I found my car was slipping out! My garage is just a normal one with normal slope.
Should the handbrake keep the car still? My door on the driveway side was totally damaged as it crashed on my garage middle poll.
Should I complain to Toyota for this or just swallow this bad luck?

[typesix]

Handbrake may keep the car from moving if it is applied firmly enough and if in proper adjustment. If your RAV has rear drum brakes, regular use of handbrake should keep it in adjustment. When setting handbrake, should always test it to make sure car won't roll before getting out.

[jalascoo]

Originally Posted by typesix

Handbrake may keep the car from moving if it is applied firmly enough and if in proper adjustment. If your RAV has rear drum brakes, regular use of handbrake should keep it in adjustment. When setting handbrake, should always test it to make sure car won't roll before getting out.

Yes, the car was not moving when I got out but was moving when I was returning back.
Maybe all car should have a warming display like some flashing in the display area about possible car move harzard when the gear is switched to netual.
Anyway,it's a big lesson and hope everybody here be cautious when they position to netual. I repaired the door and cost me $2500 hard earning money.

[Brian R.]

This is the caution you must exercise when you have a manual transmission. It is understood that a car in neutral may roll.

The only way to be sure that it won't move is to shut off the engine, place the transmission in reverse, and use the handbrake (or chock the wheels for maintenance). The handbrake by itself is not designed to ensure against rolling on a hill, since a hill may have any slope, whatsoever. This is the reason for driving safety courses to emphasize that, when parking on a hill by a curb, you turn the front wheels so that if your car rolls, it hits the curb immediately and does not roll further.

If you were a car manufacturer, would you install another safety feature in your cars which cost everyone who buys one an additional $100? Even in this day of way too much safety consciousness, there is a limit to ridiculous add-ons for those with no common sense.