Michael Sinyi stands in front of his 2017 Ford Edge after having his battery replaced.Supplied
Michael Sinyi and his wife Rebecca learned a cruel lesson in November when the battery died on their conventional, gas-burning 2017 Ford Edge.
The couple was parked at the front of the line on the ferry returning from Billy Bishop Airport on Toronto Island. When Sinyi went to start his car, nothing happened. The battery was dead. And his troubles were just beginning.
Ferry staff directed other vehicles around Sinyi’s disabled vehicle before sailing the ferry back to the island with the car stuck in its spot.
As the Sinyis and their disabled SUV made five trips back and forth between the city and the island on the dark, rainy evening, helpful ferry staff tried to bring it to life, first with a battery pack and then a boost from a work truck. But the Edge could not be revived. After flying home, they were able to start the Edge and drive it onto the ferry, but now it wouldn’t start and they were running out of options.
They decided to push the vehicle off the ferry, but discovered the wheels were locked; it could not be shifted out of Park without the engine running. Guided by an online video, Sinyi popped a panel off the console and released the Park lock with a screwdriver.
Mr. Sinyi shows how he had to remove the panel so he could use a screwdriver to release the car out of Park.Supplied
“There I was with [my phone’s] flashlight in the rain and my back end sticking out of the car,” said Sinyi, a Milton, Ont. resident who works in the film industry. “The ferry guys were quite amused.”
But even that did not solve the problem. Eventually, Sinyi called a flatbed tow truck that lifted the locked wheels off the ground so the Edge could be hauled to a repair shop in Milton, about 50 kilometres west of Toronto.
“That was a $600 trip,” said Sinyi, who does not have auto club coverage. “Plus $300 for a new battery.”
As vehicles are becoming more convenient, they are also becoming significantly more complicated. An average modern gas-powered car contains about 1,500 semiconductor chips that control everything from air conditioning and windows to infotainment systems and brakes. And all of that requires electricity, which comes from the battery.
A battery that can’t be boosted back to life is relatively rare, said Matt Carpenter, an automotive technologist instructor at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Calgary. Yet, because most modern vehicles control features electrically, a power failure can stop drivers dead in their tracks.
Unlike traditional parking brakes, which are engaged by a lever, electric parking brakes use electric motors or actuators to apply and release the brakes. Although the industry does not publish statistics on which vehicles have electric parking brakes, they can be found in the majority of new models. “Many parking brakes can’t be released manually,” Carpenter said.
Some vehicles do have mechanical brake releases for emergencies but carmakers sometimes locate them in obscure places: in the trunk, in the car’s cabin, or – in the case of some Subarus – under the vehicle. Carpenter recommends consulting the owner’s manual, rather than relying on information from do-it-yourselfers on YouTube or other forums.
“You’ve got to read your owner’s manual,” he said. “Less than 5 per cent [of people] do.”
Sinyi, who bought the vehicle used, did not have a manual. But, if he had, it would not have helped. The manual for the 2017 Ford Edge states: “You can manually release the electric parking brake by switching the ignition on … [and following several subsequent steps].” But with a dead battery, the ignition could not be switched on.
It’s not the only problem that can leave drivers stranded. Another common issue is the failure of the auxiliary batteries used in vehicles equipped with automatic start/stop systems.
Chris Abraham, a retired autoworker in Windsor, Ont., found his 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve would not start after he had left the vehicle sitting in his driveway for three or four days. The dealership replaced the auxiliary battery under warranty, but a few weeks later, the vehicle was dead again. This time, the dealership replaced the main battery.
“It’s just ridiculous,” Abraham said. “I love the car, but it’s getting to be a pain [because of all the time it is in the shop].”
An online search reveals complaints of auxiliary battery failure in several popular brands.
In such cases, there is no emergency hack, said Carpenter. And the age of do-it-yourself repairs is fading fast. Even a simple battery replacement may require a technician to reprogram the vehicle’s software.
“The more technology involved in vehicles, the less an average person can repair them,” he said.
Dead key fobs are another common problem in modern vehicles, Carpenter said. Most, but not all, key fobs contain a spare mechanical key, but Carpenter said drivers often don’t know that and they also don’t know they can start the vehicle even when the fob appears to be dead. This is done by holding the fob close to a designated spot in the vehicle. But, as with the parking brake release, manufacturers have not settled on a standard location for this hack. Carpenter said it can be close to the car’s start button, in the glove box, centre console or, in the case of Mitsubishi, behind a cupholder.
“If you didn’t read about it, you’d never stumble on it by accident,” he said.
Although he was stung by the hefty tow bill, Sinyi says he’s not turned off by convenience technology.
“There is good and bad to everything,” he said.
Though some may be tempted to stop using their parking brake, Mark Pasternak, chief instructor for driver education with the Alberta Motor Association, said that’s not a good idea.
“The park brake is a very underrated device that we all tend to dismiss as unimportant,” said Pasternak. “Couldn’t be further from the truth.”
He said the brake, also known as the emergency brake, can reduce stress on mechanical parts and keep a vehicle secure on a hill. And it’s the last resort in the event the car’s hydraulic brakes lose pressure.