White2kTA

I usually park my car on a slight hill where I am and I used to be able to get away with the parking brake only. Recently though when I've put it on occasionally it will go nearly all the way vertical and doesn't hold anything. Other times it will work right. What is wrong with it that its releasing like that occasionally? Also, do you leave your car in first or reverse when you park it so the transmission holds it?

White2kTA

ttt, sorry but i'm really worried about this... anybody have anything similar happen?

CamaroZ28

its almost straight up on mine before i get some tension

VIP1

Maybe you need to replace the pads.

--VIP1

98_blk_Hawk

The parking brake is a drum style inside the rotor so adj. is needed
if it is used often also check the cables and possibly lube them

14u2nv

Same with my SS....I think it just needs adjusted. I will be buying a repair manual for this.

Ferocity02

iTrader: (60)

It has nothing to do with pads or adjustment. The handle mechanism is at fault. When it goes vertical, does it kinda make a loud bang, clank, or broken spring sound? I don't know the exact cause of this but its in the handle mechanics. I had my car for 9 months before this happened to me. Then in that week it happened about 5 more times. Don't pull up on the handle so hard and fast. Ease it up and pull hard until it feels locked. If it does the vertical thing, just put it back down set it again slower. Once it happens once, i think it gets easier to do, so take it easy.

Second_Infinity

Mine does it occasionally, but I just slow down and it fixes it. It IS pretty odd, and scared the crap outta me the first time it did it.

VIP1

That hasn't happend to my Formula yet, but it's happend in my mother's 1990 Lumina wihich has a foot petal instead of a handle. When it happens, I just release it a try again more slowly.

--VIP1

White2kTA

Yeah that's whats going on. Loud pop and if i do it again it'll work right.... I'm busy right now with moving and crap but I think I'll take the center console apart in a couple weeks to look for a fix... Anybody know what part is the culprit in this? Thanks for all the feedback!

Black01M6SS

iTrader: (3)

When mine did this I took everything apart to see what had happened and there is a tab that sticks out to catch the cam "like on a compond bow". The tab catches the cam and only lets it come back down so far depending on how much slack is in the cable. The handle rachets on the teeth on top of the cam. The tab on mine was bent and would let the cam come all the way back down instead of stopping it when the cable got slack in it. Now it doesn't self tention and I have to work the handle a few times before it will get a good bite.

Its kinda hard to explain because I don't know how to discribe the parts but I bet it is that little tab that makes it self tention if yours slips and you have to put it back down and try again. The parts for it looked like they were stamped steal. The whole thing is made up of two thin sheets rivited together and one layer is bent out to catch the cam. Very weak.

BADBIRD2000

I had the same problem the other night, scared me too...

SilverTAWS6

I've had this problem every so often. Scared the crap out of me the first few times (thought something broke). I just figured it had to do with all the times I've yanked my console and something is slightly out of alignment or something. It doesn't do it that often, so it doesn't annoy me too much.

Chris

HydroDesign

yeah, this has happened to me a couple of times. The handle just doesn't catch the gear to engage the brake due to the flimsyness of the component designs, and the fact that you can pull it out of true (teeth alignment) by pulling it toward you while pulling up, easy to do since its on the other side of the console.