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jbres's avatar
jbres
Explorer
Nov 28, 2013

2003 Tahoe Parking brake sticking

I have an 2003 Tahoe with the 5.3 and only 119,000 miles. Recently the cold has hit here at nights in Ohio. When I park Tahoe outside for few hours at a time when its cold, parking brake is sticking very bad. It will not release until I start forcing it and driving it anyways and then I hear a large pop and it releases.


It is releasing at the handle and cable fine, and all way back to rear e brake shoes. It happened to me last weekend and I took everything apart when I got it home and it all functioned perfect. But then again tonight drove it somewhere, used the parking brake and froze up again. This time drove it home and finally it released. I think I burned the shoes up a little more this time, as now the e brake is nearly going to floor, but is still holding....

Anyone have an issue like this??
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  • Chuck_thehammer's avatar
    Chuck_thehammer
    Explorer
    Nov 28, 2013
    so 1 car/truck from 2004 and it proves the "cheap design" is crap...
    work where SALT is a way of life 4-6 months a year...

    you know how may hundreds of cars/trucks parking Brake stuff I have fixed/replaced.????????? on 4 , 5, 6 year old cars/trucks.

    yes .. today's e-brakes are Parking brakes, NOT emergency brakes.
    not since the 2 chamber master cylinders ....
  • jbres's avatar
    jbres
    Explorer
    Nov 28, 2013
    Thanks for all the advice so far.. Anyone know about how much parts run to replace the sleeves sections. Yes, I looked under my Tahoe and noticed the rubber seals are cracking.

    Also, trying to drive it home last night with the e brake still on I think I burned up a little more of my e brake shoes. E brake is now almost going to the floor when applied. But it IS still holding. There is an adjustment on the shoes to tighten these up correct? These e brake shoes are only 1 year old, I replaced them last year.
  • Perrysburg_Dodg's avatar
    Perrysburg_Dodg
    Explorer
    Nov 28, 2013
    jbres wrote:
    LPXguy- How do I know for sure the cable needs replaced?
    The cable still functions perfectly fine....


    If you get under the vehicle I will bet you will find that the rubber seals at the ends of the sleeves are cracked or gone. This will let water/moisture into the cable sleeves and will freeze. Some times backing up and hitting the brakes will cause enough pressure to brake the cable lose. You are going to need to replace the sleeve sections of the parking brake system.

    Or go with BTPO1 suggestion and use wheel chocks.

    Don

    BTW my 2004 has never had this problem and I use them ALL the time, so that blows the "cheap design" theory all to heck. Back in the day parking brakes were all steel and would rust making them stick/freeze. They are now plastic coated and if used once a month should last a very long time.
  • Chuck_thehammer's avatar
    Chuck_thehammer
    Explorer
    Nov 28, 2013
    WOW, 10 years old...

    my Dodge 2004, started sticking after first year.. dealer service it.. the next winter it did it again.. this time I serviced it.. I stopped using the parking brake after 3 years. I have a manual transmission.

    ALL so common.. RUST, cheap cables, even cheaper linkage, super cheap design.

    my opinion. retired auto mechanic (Chevy). 43 years...
  • jbres's avatar
    jbres
    Explorer
    Nov 28, 2013
    LPXguy- How do I know for sure the cable needs replaced?
    The cable still functions perfectly fine....
  • Mvander's avatar
    Mvander
    Explorer
    Nov 28, 2013
    I have the same truck and use my e brake all year. Try applying it with a bit less force. My wifes car does the freeze up a lot in the winter but as long as it frees up quickly i dont think you will hurt anything. We need our e brakes to get around the fast sweepers in the winter up here.
  • SoCalDesertRid1's avatar
    SoCalDesertRid1
    Explorer
    Nov 28, 2013
    BTPO1 wrote:
    When I was stationed in Illinois I bought a new 78 Jeep CJ-5 for winter time use. Coming from California where it never froze where I lived, I did not know you were not supposed to use the emergency brake when the weather was freezing. One morning after a good freeze I was not able to get the Jeep going. The brakes had froze solid with all the moisture that was in the brake drums after I stopped for the day. Popping the clutch a few times did release the brakes, but it was not good for them. I learned to never use the emergency brakes in the winter just block/chock your wheels.
    Yep! Exact same thing happened when my family moved from southern California to Flagstaff in the middle of winter, when I was kid. The parking brake kept freezing in the morning after driving in snow and slush the previous day. Grandpa kept warning Pop about that, but it took it actually happening for his advice to sink in! I remember him laying in the snow under the truck with a small torch, de-icing the brakes so he drive to work. He quit using the parking brake after that!

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