Handbrake sticks when cold

[Power4]

I'm pretty sure this has been talked about on here before but I can't seem to find it. When it's really cold out my handbrake sticks if the Stang has been parked and the handbrake on. Is there any way to "unstick" it? Or prevent it from happening in the first place other than parking with the car in gear?

 

[mrv8outboard]

there is a tsb on this issue. but if they are frozen put the car in gear (engine not running) reach down just in front of the rear wheels and grab the e-brake cable and wiggle it around. it should break up the ice enough to release them.

 

[ruffy]

I just had that happen to me when I went to sleep in a rest area. The car wouldn't move. I just shook the cable and freed it up. Going to have the TSB applied as soon as I can.

 

[anthony05gt]

It's the rubber boot at the cable near the rear wheels. It's the biggest POS on the cars. Mine never sees the rain and only has 10k miles on it garage kept and both boots look so dry rotted like they've been sitting in the dessert sun for the last 25 years. The boot is supposed to keep water out of the cable, but of course they are junk. I don't know if Ford replaces them with a better quality rubber or not.

 

[Power4]

It's the rubber boot at the cable near the rear wheels. It's the biggest POS on the cars. Mine never sees the rain and only has 10k miles on it garage kept and both boots look so dry rotted like they've been sitting in the dessert sun for the last 25 years. The boot is supposed to keep water out of the cable, but of course they are junk. I don't know if Ford replaces them with a better quality rubber or not.

My guess is not, but we'll see. I'll probably go get the TSB applied next Saturday.

 

[bigcat]

i had the cables replaced last year. since the swap, no issues with the cables.

 

[red65]

i had the cables replaced last year. since the swap, no issues with the cables.

Same here. They froze the first winter I had the car, had them replaced under the tsb - no issues since then.

 

[anthony05gt]

Was that covered under warranty....you know, since mine ran out last month?

 

[red65]

Was that covered under warranty....you know, since mine ran out last month?

It was covered under warranty, but of course, my car was still covered (still is - call me a sucker but I bought the extended warranty. Given this car's spotty service history, I'm betting it was the right move).

 

[bigcat]

anthony, yep, it was covered under warranty. IIRC, theres not much labor involved with these, so you would only be out the cost of the cables if you did it yourself. you can always try to see if the dealer will cut you some slack and take care of them anyway. it is worth a shot.

my warranty is up next month, and i dont have time to drop off my shopping list of warranty work before then. i may have to get a rental car just so i can take care of it all.

 

[Power4]

Can you buy the extended warranty after you've purchased the car? I've been thinking about getting it.

 

[bigcat]

i believe that you can up until your original warranty runs out. i keep getting notices in the mail that my ford warranty is about to expire and i need to buy an extended warranty.

 

[ARTTII]

OUCH!!!!! I just had this happen to me yesterday. Man, I was irate. I can't believe this is still happening - my car has a late 2nd half '07 build date. They dealer I was towed to performed the TSB and replaced both cables. I can't imagine the service cables are better than what was on my car - I got to make it a habbit of just leaving it in 1st w/o using the brake.

 

[bigcat]

the new cables have a revised insulation which are supposed to prevent water from freezing them up. it is not just a new cable, its a revised cable.

 

[Mark25]

Unless you're parking on a very high grade slope I would just put it in reverse and avoid having to deal with the parking brake.

 

[Power4]

I brought mine into the shop yesterday and they wouldn't fix it because they "couldn't duplicate the problem." Clearly they didn't let the thing sit with the parking brake on long enough to let it freeze up. They wouldn't just take my word for it and replace the damn cables anyway. Time to go to the service department at another dealer...

 

[Power4]

BTW, is it bad to park on a slight hill by leaving the car in gear? Or is it not a big deal if it's just a slight grade?