The Parking Brake Shouldn’t Be Permanent

Brake Repair in Portland, OR

The Purpose

Your vehicle’s parking brake is an important safety feature. As the name suggests, it provides another layer of protection against the automobile rolling when it’s not in use. Also, it provides a means of slowing and stopping your car if your braking system fails. (In fact, many motorists actually refer to the parking brake as the emergency brake.) Although it works most of the time reliably, it is possible to discover a problem that prevents the parking brake from disengaging. If this happens to your car, bring it to Hawthorne Auto Clinic in Portland, Oregon, for brake repair.

The Potential Problems

If you encounter a problem with your vehicle’s parking brake, it’s usually a situation in which this extra brake won’t disengage. Unlike the regular brakes, which work using hydraulic fluid pressure, the parking brake operates with a cable. When you engage the brake, the cable manually moves the brake pads against the rotor (disc) or the brake shoes against the drum. (The action that occurs depends upon the type of brakes your car has.) Return springs allow the cable to settle back to its original position. If it doesn’t return correctly, the parking brake will remain engaged. There are a few common culprits underlying this problem. For instance, the cable can rust or otherwise corrode, rendering it immobile. Also, if your car has rear disc brakes, a brake caliper may have become stuck, thereby preventing brake disengagement. Also, rear disc brakes have rear caliper pivot arms. If one of these freezes up, the parking brake won’t disengage. Finally, your auto’s return springs can lose their strength over time. Once they become weak enough, they fail to allow the control cable to return to the proper position.

The Repair Shop

Arake repair. We’ve developed a solid reputation among our neighbors since opening our doors in 1983. Further, our technicians have extensive experience with a full range of braking challenges, so we’re well prepared to attend to your parking brake woes. At the risk of making a bad pun, we invite you to “stop” by when your automobile needs brake inspection or brake repair.