I've had this problem for about a year but want to fix it now.

When I start the car, all is well. For some reason, once the emergency brake is released, the charge meter will drop into the yellow and when I'm driving it will dip in and out of the red. Battery is a year old (I changed it once the problem started) and now I just put an alternator on it.

What I've been doing as a temporary fix is releasing the e-brake just enough so that it physically doesn't grab anymore, but the sensor still thinks it's engaged and the "BRAKE" light stays on. Annoying as hell.

To be honest I haven't checked the fuses but would that be a fuse-related problem?

 

Just for kicks, check ALL of the grounds. You may have a loose ground wire around the e-brake. Was there any work done to any of this when you notice this problem? Also, it may not be a good idea to keep the e-brake up, you could be wearing down the brakes!

 

If you start the car with the e-brake on the auto daytime running lights are kept off. When you release the e-brake the lights come on causing the extra drain on the charging system. If the battery is new then the alternator is probably weak. I'd get the batt and alt checked.

 

They're both brand new though. I don't know. It doesn't make sense. DRL's don't drag THAT much.

 

I also was thinking it must be DRL related. There could be a short in the DRL circuits somewhere that pulls more power than normal but still allows the lights to work. Possibly a relay or switch.

 

Don't get hung up on the notion that just because they are new parts that they have to be good. They could be defective. Not to hard to get an alternator or battery checked.

 

Do you have an ASP pulley system or anything like that? Sometimes they can drain power if you have a lot of accessories running... stereo, lights, etc.