A Sticky Brake Situation (Parking Brake Service and Maintenance)
September 11, 2022
We've all been there. You park your vehicle on a steeper than usual hill and worry about it rolling down while you're running your errands. So you decide you'll use the parking brake. When you get back, you release the parking brake, hit the ignition, put it in gear and—uh, oh—you can feel the parking brake is still on. It's stuck. What do you do now?
Welcome to the world of infrequently-used parking brakes. Yes, they do stick for several reasons. It's common for components to corrode and get locked up. Sometimes if you have applied it extra hard, it can jam. Could be a rusty cable, could be a spring that doesn't return the brake to its disengaged position. Some pieces just break when they're stressed for the first time in a while. A caliper or the pivot arm it's on can also stick.
There are a few things you can try to unstick it. Carefully rock your vehicle by putting it first in drive and then reverse. You have to be careful doing that, though, because sometimes you can damage the transmission. You can try working the parking brake control a few times to see if that will loosen the corrosion. If you can't unstick it, you can try driving slowly a short distance to a repair facility near you. Sometimes it won't cause damage to the brakes but it depends on how tightly the parking brake was applied and what was stuck. You may also have to have your vehicle towed to a repair facility.
In any case, once you've seen these symptoms, have your vehicle brakes looked at by a professional who can fix the root of the problem. Better yet, don't let your vehicle get in this condition; regular maintenance and inspections by a trained technician should prevent you from getting in a jam somewhere thanks to a stuck parking brake. You could use a "brake" like that.
Top Tech Auto Repair Clawson
664 S Rochester Rd
Clawson, Michigan 48017
248-589-0980
http://www.toptechautorepairclawson.com
Need Service?
More articles from Top Tech Auto Repair Clawson
Sniffing Out a Problem
March 1, 2026
Your parents probably taught you to have common sense. When it comes to your vehicle, common scents can also come in handy. Different smells may tell you about some conditions in your vehicle that need attention. For example, you know what rotten eggs smell like. If you smell them around your ve... More
A "Mounting" Problem (Motor Mounts)
February 22, 2026
You know how heavy your engine and transmission are, so you can imagine how tough the parts that hold them onto your vehicle's sub-frame must be. Not only must they support the weight, they also have to isolate vibrations and noise from the passenger cabin. Pretty tall order, wouldn't you say? ... More
Knowledge is Power (Battery Testing)
February 15, 2026
Its likely happened to you once or twice. You head to your vehicle, open the door, turn the key and lo and behold, your battery is dead. Now youre stranded, may have to get a jump or a tow, and youll definitely be late for wherever you were headed. While your vehicle may sometimes give you warni... More