CX-30 Electronic parking brake

I really don’t like that the EPB engages every time you park the car. I live in a very flat city and don’t need it on ever. I have tried both methods in the manual on how to turn this auto system off. Neither one works (kinda suspicious they need two methods). Anyone know if there is a fuse I can pull to deactivate it?
 
There should be no need. Even with the automatic EPB engaged, once you put the car into reverse or drive, the EPB will disengage as soon as you touch the gas pedal.

From the manual:

Releasing the parking brake automatically
If the accelerator pedal is depressed with the parking brake applied and all of the following conditions met, the parking brake is released automatically. When the parking brake is released, the EPB indicator light in the instrument cluster and the EPB switch indicator light turn off.
  • The engine is running.
  • The driver's door is closed.
  • The driver's seat belt is fastened.
  • (Manual transmission vehicle)
    • The shift lever is in a position other than neutral.
    • The clutch pedal is depressed halfway.
  • (Automatic transmission vehicle)
    The selector lever is in the D, M, or R position.

If you wanted to, you could cancel the parking brake auto operation using the process found here, but I think it only cancels it once. When you turn the car on again, the parking brake auto operation is re-enabled.
 
Just to confirm, all of these conditions are met?

  • The engine is running.
  • The driver's door is closed.
  • The driver's seat belt is fastened.
  • (Manual transmission vehicle)
    • The shift lever is in a position other than neutral.
    • The clutch pedal is depressed halfway.
  • (Automatic transmission vehicle)
    The selector lever is in the D, M, or R position.

If they are, and the EPB still refuses to disengage, I would take it back to the dealer to have them look at it. Additionally, if the methods to deactivate the auto parking brake will not work for you, they should look at that too.
 
It will disengage, but first it is fighting the brake, so it is not a comfortable way to turn it off. I tried the two procedures in the manual several times, and neither one works to turn this off as the manual says it will. Would love to just find the right fuse to pull.
 
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Mine does not disengage either when all those conditions are met. They brought me the car to my house and it took me like 20 minutes to figure out why it wouldn't move. I knew it had to be a parking brake, but have never seen an electric one before! I have the Preferred trim if that factors in.
 
It will disengage, but first it is fighting the brake, so it is not a comfortable way to turn it off. I tried the two procedures in the manual several times, and neither one works to turn this off as the manual says it will. Would love to just find the right fuse to pull.

Have you been able to get to a dealer to have them troubleshoot/diagnose yet?
 
The parking brake can be released manually. 🤪 All one has to do is press down on the parking brake button - the amber colored light should go off. I've gotten to where I do it as a matter of course after putting the car into gear. That way I never have any hunkering up or down. 🙃
 
The parking brake can be released manually. 🤪 All one has to do is press down on the parking brake button - the amber colored light should go off. I've gotten to where I do it as a matter of course after putting the car into gear. That way I never have any hunkering up or down. 🙃

Some people don't like to have to manually release the parking brake every time, especially if they never have to engage it in the first place. What works for you may not work for others :)
 
It is very disappointing they force this on you with no option to decline. A definite black mark against an otherwise excellent vehicle.
 
Not an issue with me as I have always set my parking break, either by hand, foot, or electronically. I've always done this so the automatic transmission does not bear the weight of the car, whether or not I'm on level ground. Just second nature to hit the button to disengage right before I take it out of park.
 
There should be no need. Even with the automatic EPB engaged, once you put the car into reverse or drive, the EPB will disengage as soon as you touch the gas pedal.

From the manual:

Releasing the parking brake automatically
If the accelerator pedal is depressed with the parking brake applied and all of the following conditions met, the parking brake is released automatically. When the parking brake is released, the EPB indicator light in the instrument cluster and the EPB switch indicator light turn off.
  • The engine is running.
  • The driver's door is closed.
  • The driver's seat belt is fastened.
  • (Manual transmission vehicle)
    • The shift lever is in a position other than neutral.
    • The clutch pedal is depressed halfway.
  • (Automatic transmission vehicle)
    The selector lever is in the D, M, or R position.

If you wanted to, you could cancel the parking brake auto operation using the process found here, but I think it only cancels it once. When you turn the car on again, the parking brake auto operation is re-enabled.
My 2020 CX-30 seriously squats down in reverse and I haven't wanted to keep pushing it to see if it releases. I also have the problem that co-workers or parking attendants may need to move my car while not wearing the seat belt and are unfamiliar with the EPB. Most of us find this more than just annoying but a worry. Mazda failed on this one.
 
My 2020 CX-30 seriously squats down in reverse and I haven't wanted to keep pushing it to see if it releases. I also have the problem that co-workers or parking attendants may need to move my car while not wearing the seat belt and are unfamiliar with the EPB. Most of us find this more than just annoying but a worry. Mazda failed on this one.

The automatic parking brake is released automatically, as long as all the criteria mentioned above are met. If the parking brake isn't releasing the way it should, take it to your local Mazda dealer and let them know about the issue so they can fix it. If you do happen to have to take it in for that, I would suggest holding off on complaining about the feature itself, as you may run the risk of confusing the issue with the service tech.

Additionally, if you have to ask someone to move your car, just mention the APB when you ask them to move it. That being said, I would hope that people familiar with driving/moving cars would understand that if the car won't move in Reverse or Drive, it's probably because the parking brake is engaged, at which point they would just manually release it with the switch.
 
If I were to be around when the car needs to be moved I would move it myself. Hope is great but not what I was looking for in a new car. There are two sides: those of us making too big a deal about it (maybe) and those who are dismissing it as nothing.
 
It shouldn't be an issue. It should be reprogrammed to automatically release the instant the engine is started just like it now automatically engages the instant the engine shuts off. That should be done and provided to all owners who want it. Anyone who wants to leave it the way it is can do so. The rest of us can have it the way it should be.
 
Or even disengage once you move the shift lever out of Park. Why they didn't do this boggles my mind. Instead they connected it in with the use of seat belt and other nonsense.
 
Or even disengage once you move the shift lever out of Park. Why they didn't do this boggles my mind. Instead they connected it in with the use of seat belt and other nonsense.
Although I'm one of those that is "dismissing it as nothing", I do agree that it would be nice if it disengaged when moved out of park.
 
If I were to be around when the car needs to be moved I would move it myself. Hope is great but not what I was looking for in a new car. There are two sides: those of us making too big a deal about it (maybe) and those who are dismissing it as nothing.

I'm not trying to dismiss it at all. I was just providing a suggestion to take it to the dealer if it isn't functioning the way Mazda designed it to (i.e. in your case, squatting in Reverse when it should just release the brake, as long as the criteria are met).

If there is nothing functionally wrong with the way the automatic brake operates, and your issue is why Mazda did it the way that they did, I would suggest that you contact Mazda Corporate and voice your concern. Maybe they can provide an explanation, or maybe if they get enough calls about the issue, they'll be prompted to revisit the logic. As far as I know, the APB is electronically controlled, so maybe if enough people complain directly to them, they can release a software update to change the programming.
 
There is a section in the 2021 Manual on "Cancelling the parking brake automatic operation". I have followed both methods and they do not seem to work. Anyone else tried it? Here's text from the manual:

Cancelling the parking brake automatic operation

The parking brake automatic operation can be cancelled by doing any of the following after switching the ignition from ON to OFF.

Auto operation cancel method 1
  1. Switch the ignition ON.
  2. Turn off the AUTOHOLD.
  3. Press the EPB switch continuously for 2 seconds or longer (until a sound is activated).
  4. Release the EPB switch and switch the ignition OFF within 5 seconds after the sound was activated.
    After the auto operation is cancelled, a sound is activated one time, and the EPB switch indicator light switches from illumination to flashing, and then turns off after 3 seconds.
Auto operation cancel method 2
  1. Switch the ignition ON.
  2. Turn off the AUTOHOLD.
  3. Switch the ignition OFF with the EPB switch pressed.
    When the auto operation is cancelled, a sound is activated one time, and the EPB switch indicator light from normal flashing to faster flashing, and then turns off after 3 seconds.

Here's a link to the manual, just scroll down to the section mentioned above: https://owners-manual.mazda.com/gen/en/cx-30/cx-30_8hq1ee19i/contents/05050107.html
 
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