[NBrehm]

There's nothing wrong with your car. The engine is a low compression 1.4L, it will not hold the weight of the car on a hill for an extended period of time.

Use your e-brake. That's why you have one.

Exactly. The weight of the car is more than the engine can hold. Use the parking brake

 

[NBrehm]

I understand that, but when the engine won't even hold on a driveway of 5 degrees, when it used to hold on steeper grades I'm a little worried.
if the handbrake were ever to fail, it has no backup.

ive already had it fail once before which sent the car plummeting down the driveway, cross the street and smash into a tree. About 20 mins after I parked it.
Thank christ it was about 10 minutes before school kids got let out.
I put it down to an error I may have done but am now realizing that it was probably a malfunction.

MP

Leave your wheels turned toward the curb or the edge of the road, that way if everything fails it won't roll down the hill. The transmission has never been meant to hold a vehicle in place to back up the parking brake. If it was a piston issue you would be losing oil