Parking Brake Switch why it breaks.

[BoringName]

I found this forum after my parking brake switch became a little loose and stopped engaging the brake properly. It ended up falling off so I thought I would post a few images here as it may help some people while they wait for a replacement part.

The purple arrows in the underside image are where there are round notches. This is where the switch mounts to the center console. The 2 mounting points look roughly like my terrible drawing on the side photo. Just a bit of plastic with an angled notch on the side that partially slots into the round notches indicated on the underside image. These angled notches provide the spring action. When you push/pull the button, it puts pressure on these angled notches which in turn puts pressure on the point I indicated in the side photo and it eventually just snaps off at this point.

Sorry the car isn't here for me to get a photo of what it looks like with the button removed but there is just 2 white actuators that line up with the blue arrows on the underside photo. You will notice the left one is higher at the bottom of the image and the right one is higher at the top. This determines which actuator is triggered depending on if you push the button or pull it.

You can just push these white actuators with a pen, key, screwdriver etc.. and it will engage/disengage the brake. So if your switch has come loose and no longer works properly. You should just jiggle it until the other side breaks and then you can access the actuators directly while you wait for a replacement.

This is the only video I could find on removing the switch on my car -
Center Console Removal.

edit: forgot to mention I don't have an N line. It's a standard i30 2018 SR but I believe they use the same switch for the park brake.

New switch is $400 AUD here, a second hand one is $120AUD. I got one from Aliexpress for $24 AUD. If it works I will post an update and try and get a photo of the 2 white actuators.

 

[sneakybastd]

Just to add some extra info. My park brake switch also broke in the same way on my 2018 N-Line. What a POS design this switch is.
The Hyundai dealership wanted me to pay 370aud for a replacement part!!!!! Plus 180aud for labour. 550aud in total! And still only a 12 month warranty, so they can stiff me again when it breaks in a few years from now....

Thanks to OP, and the video, I decided to fix it myself. So I ordered this part from AliExpress, about 25aud delivered.

Frein à main électrique, frein de stationnement, interrupteur de maintien automatique, adapté à Hyundai Kona I30 N Line 2018 – 2020 - AliExpress 34

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

The part DOES work. But it is shaped for LHD, not RHD in Australia. Yes, if you can believe it, they made a slightly different fitting part just because of that.

In any case, with some small modifications, you can make it fit into the console and it works just fine. The switch housing has 3 screw mounting points. 2 at the back, 1 at the front. The hole for the front screw just needs to be drilled out a bit towards the 4 o'clock position. This gives it a bit of sideways movement so that the switch action can clear the edges of where it mounts.
You also need to do some light filing on the edge of the console where the switch "pulls" up into the console. Take off a mm or 2, and it clears just fine.

All up, the switch once in place looks only a little odd, slightly off angle. Noticeable when you look for it, otherwise who cares. And it saved me 525aud.

The hard part is taking the console off. Start with the console around the gear lever, then the console around the park brake switch, as in the video. Use a plastic spatula tool to avoid damaging the edges of the console.
The 2 screws he talks about breaking in the video are at the front top edge of the center console storage compartment. They are screwed into plastic tabs, which easily cut off with a stanley knife. You won't be able to unscrew them, the console wall is in the way. Then it all pops off.

Next step is to take the original switch apart and rebuild it properly, so that when this part breaks, I can put it back in. I'll update with how I do that in future.

 

[BoringName]

In any case, with some small modifications, you can make it fit into the console and it works just fine. The switch housing has 3 screw mounting points. 2 at the back, 1 at the front. The hole for the front screw just needs to be drilled out a bit towards the 4 o'clock position. This gives it a bit of sideways movement so that the switch action can clear the edges of where it mounts.
You also need to do some light filing on the edge of the console where the switch "pulls" up into the console. Take off a mm or 2, and it clears just fine.

I thought I had posted an update here but clearly did not.

As you pointed out, the part was a LHD which did cause an issue. I couldn't find an RHD anywhere online that wasn't stupidly expensive. I didn't need to drill out the mounting hole though, I just put some sandpaper on a flat surface and rubbed the side of the switch on it until it would operate in the console without it catching. It didn't take much effort.

It doesn't sit flush but you don't notice it at all unless you specifically look at it. The replacement has a proper click to it so I don't think it has the same design flaw as the OEM switch Hyundai are asking $500 for. Their replacement part costs are insane. They wanted $4000 to replace the headlights..... I fixed them with $10 of supplies from Bunnings.

After the first few years of owning the car I was completely down with getting another I30 when the time came. But after the cost of replacement parts that failed earlier than they should and the horrible experience I've had at the local dealership, I won't be buying a Hyundai again.

 

[BoringName]

I did find some photos I took at the time which show the white actuators I originally mentioned. Sorry the console is a little gross.