Hi, all

I have a problem - every time temperature outside goes below -10C my rear left caliper doesn't let rotor go and I barely can move the car from a parking lot. E-brake lever feels completely loose - I can "release" it as much as I pleased to no avail - I simply can't feel any retraction force from rear brake springs, lever just falls into its place. If I leave the car in warmer place everything is back to normal as temperature goes above 0C. I've learned not to leave the car on e-brake in cold weather and leave it just in "P". I know - the car just doesn't like Canadian winter but what else can be done? I was unable to determine what was stuck - caliper itself or brake cable since it was da..n cold in the first place and everything was under tension which didn't allow me to move any part. I think it was cable itself because it was loose at the other end in the cabin. Any advice how to fix this?

Mike.

 

I bet the 4th gen guys know.. They've had this problem for awhile.. its just now catching up to us. Mine did it once last winter.

 

from what i've heard, it is not recommended to use e-brake in a winter time

 

So what do you have to do if you park on an incline/decline? Leaving it just in gear will put the entire car's weight on it, which is definitely not good for the transmission. I guess if you're on a level surface, then leaving it in gear works just fine (or in P in an auto), but I, for example, have to park on a decline every night because my driveway is like that.

Does this happen as pads wear out or something, cause Tim is saying to ask 4th gens, or is it a design issue?

 

Check to see how many clicks you get when you pull up the ebrake. A normal one should do 8-9 at its highest point. My car had the same problem and the Haynes manual said it is because the ebrake line was too tight. It says that you need to adjust it to have 8-9 clicks. Mine only has like 4, I haven't had time to do it yet. Get a haynes manual at Autozone or a local parts store.

Best of luck...

 

Thank you for response but it's not that - e-brake lever feels "loose", like nothing is attached to it in the cabin. I think, some water got under cable cover and causes all these problems.

Mike.