So I pulled our handbrake a little too hard last weekend and it got stuck on. After much yanking I eventually managed to release it, but the little button you push to take the weight off the ratchet mechanism is now stuck in. Otherwise it seems fine.

Please enlighten me what I’ve done wrong and how I could possibly fix it. Its a new model Fiesta for reference. Quite willing to take it to a garage, but need to know what I’m asking for so I don’t look incompetent (a lie) and ripe for overcharging. 🙁

The first thing you’ve done wrong, is buy a fiesta.

Yawn. Anyone got anything useful to add?

Good point! 😳 In exchange for information I can provide my eternal gratitude and the nice feeling from teaching an auto-novice something useful, or a pint if preferred!

Oh man, I’m sorry! That was some poo-level trolling I was doing.

I don’t have much in the way of car knowledge. Let me google around for you….

No worries, I was also being a tad childish!

I can save you time by saying the first three results pages of “handbrake button stuck” haven’t helped me in any way.

Has it not just rotated and jammed in the handle? Pry it back into alignment with a nail file or similar and it might just pop out?

Dunno but if you’re in the SW I can recommend a ‘Fiesta friendly’ garage which shouldn’t rip you off 🙂

I’m not sadly, Leeds based so looking for honest Yorkshire mechanics. 😛

Hmm looking in the manual wasn’t that enlightening, although it suggests you don’t need to hold the button down when lifting the handbrake. Every day’s a school day! A few ups and downs the proper by the manual way seems to have brought the button out a bit though.

Hmm looking in the manual wasn’t that enlightening, although it suggests you don’t need to hold the button down when lifting the handbrake. Every day’s a school day

I was always taught to use the button to prevent wear on the teeth. Weather they actually wear or not, I’ve no idea.

**** knows why the button is stuck. It sound like something may have come loose, or stuck. At the end of the day it’s just a lever which locks into the teeth. I’d mess about with it a bit, but if it doesn’t fix itself you’ll probably have to lift the facia to see what’s happening.

The button is on a rod with a spring around the outside, it sounds like the spring has slipped somewhere.

Looking on the bright side, it’s much better for handbrake turns now.

Can you slide the plastic outer off? Normally take a bit of tugging if it’s not screwed on.

Have a look on ebay for mechanisms for your year and see if you can see any screws holding the cover on. They seem to go for about £20 as complete units so if all else fails it shouldnt be too hard to replace.

Did you yank the handle up too far? Wondering if you have gone past the end stop and the spring/pin has fired out.

You can usually twist off the plastic outer shroud on the handbrake lever. However, it may be easier just to go down the scrappie and take one off a scrap car.