Parking Brake Cable Broken

[CamaroKid300]

I go to get into my car today and when I release the parking brake, I noticed it had no tension at all.

I pulled it up and it had no force at all...with it all the way up as far as I could pull the car would still roll with the clutch pressed in.

Anyone had an experience like this? Guess I have to make my way to the dealership tomorrow.

Really poor timing too.

[Rock-It Man]

Used to happen frequently...on VWs I drove in the '70s!

[CamaroSpike23]

Originally Posted by CamaroKid300

I go to get into my car today and when I release the parking brake, I noticed it had no tension at all.

I pulled it up and it had no force at all...with it all the way up as far as I could pull the car would still roll with the clutch pressed in.

Anyone had an experience like this? Guess I have to make my way to the dealership tomorrow.

Really poor timing too.

IIRC, you can adjust the parking brake via driving in reverse and pulling up on the p-brake 4-5 times to readjust it.

[Chevrolet Customer Svc]

Originally Posted by CamaroKid300

I go to get into my car today and when I release the parking brake, I noticed it had no tension at all.

I pulled it up and it had no force at all...with it all the way up as far as I could pull the car would still roll with the clutch pressed in.

Anyone had an experience like this? Guess I have to make my way to the dealership tomorrow.

Really poor timing too.

Please let us know how your dealership's service department handled your concern. We are here if you have any comments or feedback.

Brandon
Chevrolet Customer Service

[CamaroKid300]

Originally Posted by Rock-It Man

Used to happen frequently...on VWs I drove in the '70s!

Yeah I wouldn't have expected this to happen to a newer car.

Originally Posted by CamaroSpike23

IIRC, you can adjust the parking brake via driving in reverse and pulling up on the p-brake 4-5 times to readjust it.

Yeah that's not gonna work I don't think.

This puppy moves way too freely for it to just be a simple adjustment issue i think. especially since I can go down the road at 50 and pull the brake up and it does nothing

Originally Posted by Chevrolet Customer Svc

Please let us know how your dealership's service department handled your concern. We are here if you have any comments or feedback.

Brandon
Chevrolet Customer Service

Will Do.

[CamaroSpike23]

Originally Posted by CamaroKid300

Yeah that's not gonna work I don't think.

This puppy moves way too freely for it to just be a simple adjustment issue i think. especially since I can go down the road at 50 and pull the brake up and it does nothing

you'd be amazed at how simple things like this can work.

also... the parking brake is not an emergency brake. and the fact that you have pulled it at 50mph probably means you have worn it out past its original adjustment and it needs readjusted. drive backwards in a straight line for a block or so (empty parking lot or something) and depress your brakes a couple times.

IMO, its much easier to try that and potentially fix it than have to take time out of your day to run it to the dealer and potentially have to pay them for "hours" of work for something simple.



the GM way to adjust the parking brake cable itself is as follows

Parking Brake Adjustment


Special Tools

J-21177-A Drum To Brake Shoe Clearance Gauge
•Adjustments to the park brake shoe are not necessary after replacing the park brake lever or park brake cables. The park brake is adjusted automatically by cycling the park brake lever 3 times.
•DO not operate the park brake lever with the rear disc brake rotor(s) removed.
•Apply and fully release the parking brake 3 times.
•Verify that the parking brake pedal releases completely.
•Raise and support the vehicle. Refer to Lifting and Jacking the Vehicle.
•Remove the rear tire and wheel assemblies. Refer to Tire and Wheel Removal and Installation.
•Remove the rear brake rotors. Refer to Rear Brake Rotor Replacement.



•Set the J-21177-A Drum To Brake Shoe Clearance Gauge inside of the park brake drum at the widest point.




•

Place the contacts of the tool at the widest point of the drum (1).





•

Tighten the set screw on the tool to ensure the proper measurement when removing the tool from the drum.




•Position the J-21177-A Drum To Brake Shoe Clearance Gauge over the park brake shoe (1) at the widest point.
•Turn the adjuster on the actuator until the park brake shoe just contacts the J-21177-A Drum To Brake Shoe Clearance Gauge .
•Repeat steps 8 through 10 for the opposite side.
•Install the rear brake rotors. Refer to Rear Brake Rotor Replacement.
•Install the rear tire and wheel. Refer to Tire and Wheel Removal and Installation.
•Lower the vehicle to curb height.
•Set and release the park brake lever 3 times.

Note: If the rear wheels rotate during the following test, readjust the parking brake shoes.
•Apply the parking brake. Inspect the rotation of the rear wheels:




•

The wheels should not rotate forward.





•

The wheels should not drag or rotate backward.

•Release the parking brake. Verify that the wheels rotate freely.
•Lower the vehicle.

[CamaroKid300]

Thanks.

I shouldn't (aka will not) have to pay a dime anyways, that's bumper to bumper.

I'm not going to mess with it, I'll just take it in the AM. Thankfully I don't need my car tomorrow...I just need it today.

I also don't have to tools down here at school I would need.

[strych9]

Originally Posted by CamaroKid300

Thanks.

I shouldn't (aka will not) have to pay a dime anyways, that's bumper to bumper.

I'm not going to mess with it, I'll just take it in the AM. Thankfully I don't need my car tomorrow...I just need it today.

I also don't have to tools down here at school I would need.

Wear items like brakes (and parking brakes) are not covered items, unless defective, not worn. If there is a mechanical problem, it should be covered. It it won't hold due to wear, they will charge you for repairs.

[CamaroSpike23]

Originally Posted by CamaroKid300

Thanks.

I shouldn't (aka will not) have to pay a dime anyways, that's bumper to bumper.

I'm not going to mess with it, I'll just take it in the AM. Thankfully I don't need my car tomorrow...I just need it today.

I also don't have to tools down here at school I would need.

you don't need any tools to test the methods I already mentioned. just go out and do it already. Don't make me come down there and steal your car just to fix your parking brake.

Originally Posted by strych9

Wear items like brakes (and parking brakes) are not covered items, unless defective, not worn. If there is a mechanical problem, it should be covered. It it won't hold due to wear, they will charge you for repairs.

this.

[CamaroKid300]

Originally Posted by strych9

Wear items like brakes (and parking brakes) are not covered items, unless defective, not worn. If there is a mechanical problem, it should be covered. It it won't hold due to wear, they will charge you for repairs.

It has to be a mechanical problem. I could understand if the pads were worn badly or something and they just wouldn't hold....but when the parking brake lever freely moves up and down with no pressure at all...its got to be a mechanical issue...not a pad wear problem.

Originally Posted by CamaroSpike23

you don't need any tools to test the methods I already mentioned. just go out and do it already. Don't make me come down there and steal your car just to fix your parking brake.




this.

It doesn't do anything...go in reverse the car just keeps going no matter how far i pull up on the lever...it moves freely..so something in there is broken.

I've had the car since december...if it was a 2010 and this happened I could see them saying it was from wear...but its a 2012 so that shouldn't even matter.

[C5RocksC5]

I am betting the cable broke.

[DJ_BigC]

Pulling the e-brake while in reverse is for very very small adjustments, actually I really don't think it can be adjusted like this even though service information says it can/will. The design now, and also has been used for many years now is small access holes in the backing plates to gain access to the adjusters to turn them to adjust the e-brakes and again I'm not even sure the Camaro has these access holes.

I had to remove my rear rotors, and adjust until I liked the feel of the e-brake in the car, I then verified cable tension and since then never had a problem.

You cable is either broken, overly stretched or if the system incorporates 2 separated cables (1 for each side) to apply each side individually, one of your cable may have came undone from the e-brake handle assembly and needs to be reinstalled and adjusted properly. Bring it to the dealer and let them diagnose it. Also driving on your e-brake does not hurt anything mechanically, it just wears the shoes a little bit each time, but it does brake the surface rust free inside the hat portion of the rear drums and keeps them from rusting out badly. I do it all the time and my e-brake shoes are not worn out at all.

[CamaroKid300]

Originally Posted by DJ_BigC

Pulling the e-brake while in reverse is for very very small adjustments, actually I really don't think it can be adjusted like this even though service information says it can/will. The design now, and also has been used for many years now is small access holes in the backing plates to gain access to the adjusters to turn them to adjust the e-brakes and again I'm not even sure the Camaro has these access holes.

I had to remove my rear rotors, and adjust until I liked the feel of the e-brake in the car, I then verified cable tension and since then never had a problem.

You cable is either broken, overly stretched or if the system incorporates 2 separated cables (1 for each side) to apply each side individually, one of your cable may have came undone from the e-brake handle assembly and needs to be reinstalled and adjusted properly. Bring it to the dealer and let them diagnose it. Also driving on your e-brake does not hurt anything mechanically, it just wears the shoes a little bit each time, but it does brake the surface rust free inside the hat portion of the rear drums and keeps them from rusting out badly. I do it all the time and my e-brake shoes are not worn out at all.

Thanks, I know it can't be a simple adjustment issue with how it feels.

[CamaroSpike23]

Originally Posted by CamaroKid300

It has to be a mechanical problem. I could understand if the pads were worn badly or something and they just wouldn't hold....but when the parking brake lever freely moves up and down with no pressure at all...its got to be a mechanical issue...not a pad wear problem.

Remember, the parking brake is not an emergency brake, it does not apply the full amount of pressure that your brakes do when you hit the pedal.


It doesn't do anything...go in reverse the car just keeps going no matter how far i pull up on the lever...it moves freely..so something in there is broken.

how fast were you going? did you hit your regular brakes? I misspoke earlier about pulling the handle when backing up, I meant to say to apply the brakes from a backwards roll 4 or 5 times then try the parking brake.
I've had the car since december...if it was a 2010 and this happened I could see them saying it was from wear...but its a 2012 so that shouldn't even matter.

shouldn't matter, but you yourself said that you pulled the parking brake while doing 50mph on the road. that can easily wear the p-brake out of adjustment. its not meant to stop your car from highway speeds. its meant to hold the car when parked... hence why its called a parking brake...

Originally Posted by CamaroKid300

Thanks, I know it can't be a simple adjustment issue with how it feels.

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