Haval SUV Range

The two warnings are probably linked. 'Inadequate clamping force' on this model generally indicates a problem with the parking brake system. The car is trying to tell you that the electric motors that operate the parking brake can’t generate enough force to be sure that the vehicle won’t roll away on a hill.

This could be because your brake pads are very worn, the hydraulic lines are blocked or crimped, the brake calipers have seized or are sticky, or even that there’s low voltage in the car’s battery. Since you recently had a flat battery, there’s a decent chance the car still isn’t happy with the level of charge on board and is triggering this safety warning. Modern cars and their electronic systems hate insufficient battery voltage.

Whatever the cause you need to get it fixed, because a faulty parking brake has the potential to be a big problem. A decent workshop should be able to check the battery’s condition as well as test the parking brake system. You may need to consult a Haval dealer, however, to figure out how to cancel the warning on the dashboard once it’s been established that everything is working properly.

There’s about a million possible causes of this, but most mechanics would probably make a check of the electric fuel pump one of their first moves. Modern electric pumps have a finite lifespan and when they die, it can be very sudden. You can try a quick test for yourself at home, too. When it’s nice and quiet, turn the ignition until the dashboard lights come on. At that point, you should be able to hear a faint hum or buzz. That’s the electric fuel pump switching on to supply fuel to the engine. If you can’t hear it humming away, chances are it’s either dead or a fuse or other electrical problem has stopped it in its tracks.

There’s also the chance that the failure to start is related to the car’s ignition system which, again, could have any number of causes. Old spark plugs, blown coil-packs, a dud sensor or even a broken wire could be the problem.

The HDC refers to the Hill Descent Control feature that allows the vehicle to crawl down a steep slope off-road without the driver applying the brakes. This function uses the car’s braking and ABS systems to operate, so any fault with it has serious implications for the vehicle’s overall safety.

You may have a dud sensor or something wrong with the wiring, electronics or even the hardware. Either way, an electronic scan should give you a few clues as to what’s causing this fault message to show up. Sometimes something as simple as a battery with low voltage can cause error messages like this to appear. But don’t ignore it; these are important safety systems and you need to know they’re working properly.