Emergency Brake Issues May Be More Than Meets The Eye

Dear Car Talk:

I have a 2002 Toyota 4Runner. The emergency brake will not hold the vehicle. It's functioning, because I have seen it working.

Everything has been replaced or re-greased. The cable feels tight. What gives? Please let me know before it rolls over the cliff that I park near.

Thanks. -- Regina

Well, it's a 2002, Regina. There may come a time soon when having it roll over a cliff is the perfect solution. Until then, let's start with the cable. You say the cable feels tight when you engage the parking brake. But that's no guarantee that it's not seized.

Each section of the parking brake cable runs through a sheath. And over time (like, 20-plus years, for instance) moisture can get inside the sheath and cause the steel cable to rust and bind up. So, you may feel resistance when you engage the brake, but that resistance may be coming, in whole or in part, from inside the sheath, rather than from your rear brakes.

Second, even if you can see something moving at the rear wheels when you apply the parking brake, that doesn't mean the brake is fully working -- as you know. There are a number of parts hidden by the brake drum that you can't see. For instance, the cable pulls a pivot lever that activates an equalizer bar at each wheel. That transmits force to each brake shoe.

That pivot lever can rust and prevent the brake from being fully applied. And that's something you can't see until you take off the rear brake drums. And when you do that, you'll have to disconnect the cables, so you'll be able to tell whether they're all moving freely and easily in their sheaths.

So, stop looking and start taking things apart, Regina. That'll lead to answers to all of your questions.

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