Patent ID: 6932440

Claim:
A method for braking a vehicle having a brake system with an electrically and/or electronically operable brake control device, wheel brake devices and a brake master cylinder which is hydraulically isolated from said wheel brake devices during normal operation of the brake system, as well as an engine whose torque is transmitted via a transmission to driven wheels of the vehicle, said method comprising: determining when there exist both a malfunction in the vehicle brake system and a demand for a braking operation; and responsive to said determining, establishing a hydraulic through-connection at least between the brake master cylinder and the wheel brake devices at at least one vehicle axle, and increasing a transmission ratio of said transmission automatically by a transmission control device, which activates the transmission, to produce an increased braking torque acting at the driven wheels; wherein the transmission ratio is increased only if current engine speed and a calculated engine speed resulting from an increase are both below a predeterminable limiting value.