burning parking brake cable

[MikeyB351]

earlier today, my wife was driving and smoke started coming out from under the console, when the console was lifted, the brake cable had just burned away, all the gauges went crazy, the battery is dead, and the rear brakes seized. Anyone know what might have caused this???

Mike
2000 V6 coupe

 

[DanM]

Looks like she drove for a while with the parking brake on....

I saw this lady in a Chrysler minivan do that. Had been driving down the highway with her parking brake set. When she finally pulled off, there was smoke pouring out from the rear end, and it was so hot that the plastic around the wheel wells had melted!

Unfortunately you could be in for a costly repair.

 

[MikeyB351]

the smoke came from directly under the console, when she stopped it, she pulled the brake and the cable was still good, after she went back the cable had broken and the rear brakes were locked. They did unlock after that before it was towed. I'm starting to think that a sensor on the parking brake (or somewhere in that area) burned and caused the short and the breaking of the cable

 

[Lsredy2kstang]

 

[MikeyB351]

electrical short caused the electrical system to ground to the parking brake cable, welding it to the body and seizing the rear brakes. good stuff huh

 

[DanM]

electrical short caused the electrical system to ground to the parking brake cable, welding it to the body and seizing the rear brakes. good stuff huh

Wow that's a new one. Ford quality for ya!!

 

[marvinmycat]

It has nothing to do with Ford quality, just the fact that his wife drove off with the parking brake set. Try that on any other make of car and I'm sure you'll be met with varying degrees of results such as this.

 

[97v6Silver]

i've done that many a times and nothing has ever happend to me

 

[Ron Jeremy]

Women are idiots. I know quite a few of them that ruined their cars because they didn't know how to drive them or how to take care of them. You are going to have a costly repar to fix the damage that she done to your Mustang. I never let my wife drive my Mustang. She already wrecked one and I don't want to see another one wrecked. I let her drive her SUV. Women should be driving trucks so they can learn how to drive the right way.

 

[MikeyB351]

actually

actually it's not my wife's fault. She's actually an awesome driver and is into mustangs almost as much as I am. It's my fault because the wires that shorted were the cables to the amp that I installed myself.

 

[MikeyB351]

you might wanna lay off my wife as well, because in May, she'll be part of those "troops you support in Iraq". Thanks.

 

[Lsredy2kstang]

you might wanna lay off my wife as well, because in May, she'll be part of those "troops you support in Iraq". Thanks.

Hell yeah! I hope that she has a troube free stint! Tell her thanks and good luck!

Oh and tell her to kill a few towel heads for me!

 

[MikeyB351]

hahah, oh she will. She's actually excited to go.