So i wanted to know who else has experienced this problem:

took my car to the dealership b/c the parking/e-brake needed what i thought was an adjustment b/c the actual handle had to be pulled all the way up to engage the break. take it in, after almost an hour of waiting (after they told me it would only be 30 min to fix max) the service guy comes back and tells the the link between the e-brake assembly and the rear caliper is disconnected?

the car has 24k miles on it, is this normal? idk they had to special order a new assembly b/c aparently mine is f****D, so now i'm driving a car with no parking brake. kinda unnerving, even though i leave it in gear anyways, still kinda pissed.

on a brighter note, it is covered under the warranty, so i'll just lose my car for a day....which isnt tooo bad.

any one else experience this with the balt?

 

The parking brake sucks ***** in the SS S/C.

The Cobalt LS' parking brake however...

 

haha....wonder if i can get them to throw a zo6 assembly in??? lol if its even possible....

 

My parking brake broke just last week! =D

Took it to the dealer, didn't have the part, said they'd call me when they got it...

 

That sucks. How often do u use it?

 

I always use it when I park.

 

same....always, better safe than sorry

 

Forgive me as I don't drive a manual, but does the car not roll away when you park if the brake ain't up, even if it is in gear? I thought putting it in gear was a last resort if the brake failed.

 

shoulda got an LS i guess :P

 

it has a tendency to roll but its just as equal to using the brake but you should always do both.

 

^^ Oh. Fair enough.

 

Yup, happened to me twice already. First time it happened I ordered a new handle assembly but they are not immediately available apparently, so I took the whole thing apart (shouldn't take more than 40 minutes) and tried to bend the bracket back together. The problem is that the metal it's made of is too soft and if you need any real force (i.e. on a very steep hill), the bracket twists/bends and the cables that actually extend to the rear calipers will pop out (or in my case, just the passenger rear cable). I'm currently trying to see if I can get a new bracket machined from a stronger material.

Quick how-to...
Pull brake handle up 4-5 clicks, pop lower trim off and remove, pull up front cover (w/cup holder and shifter) and disconnect connector for rear aux. power outlet. Squeeze bottom sides of parking brake handle cover, twist and slide off. Pop covers for both sides of console (in foot wells) and remove two rear 8mm bolts on each side retaining console body. Two more 8mm bolts at rear sides of console (need to slide seats forward to access), and finally two under rear edge of front console cover. Pop rear cup holder and (if equipped) two 10mm bolts securing armrest. Armrest should slide rearward and lift out. Lift console trim upward to access 4-10mm bolts holding bracket for armrest, and remove.

Once all this is out of the way, you can clearly see the complete handle mechanism and said bracket. Two pairs of channel-locks can be used to bend bracket back together, but you may need to loosen the 10mm nut on the forward cable next to the handle for adjustment so you can pull the cable back into the bracket.

Now that you have it all apart is a good time to make sure it's properly adjusted. Jack both rear wheels in the air and loosen 10mm adjuster nut several turns. Make sure both rear wheels spin freely. Pull handle up 3-4 clicks, and re-tighten adjuster until wheels are held tightly, but spin freely again when handle is released. Reassemble console in opposite order of above.

That said, if anyone has any other suggestions, I'm absolutely open to them.

 

You do a how-to with pics... NOW!

 

I would, but my digicam is f@cked.

 

I wrote a how-to, complete with pics:

https://www.cobaltss.net/forums/how-guide-43/how-adjusting-emergency-parking-brake-05-09-cobalt-w-rear-disc-brakes-168592/

Bottom line is that my driver's rear wheel will drag all the time, even when the nut was completely loosened on the handle. With the nut just slightly snugged, it takes 4 clicks to hold the car on my semi-steep driveway.

From the factory, both rear wheels had excessive drag and it took 3 clicks to hold the car on the same driveway. I also noticed an excessive amount of brake dust. Once I re-adjusted the e-brake, there was far less brake dust and no drag (at least on the passenger rear wheel).

 

thanks im having the same problem

 

I rebent mine and it's holding so far, but i know it's only a matter of time

 

Interesting. I suspect that "balancing" bracket is the reason my driver's rear wheel is dragging. If it is soft, it might bend/twist under force allowing one side to be tighter than the other.

 

I had the same thing happen 2 weeks ago. The e-brake kept getting weaker and weaker, and i thought it was from a cable being stretched or something. It got to the point where it wouldnt even hold on slight slants like driveways. I took it in and asked them to replace the cable, and they called me back about an hour later saying that my brakes just needed to be re-adjusted. Got it fixed for just under $20, and now i can barely pull the handle halfway up.

Also, for the comment above, i think of it the other way around. The e-brake for me is a safety thing in case my car pop's out of gear. The e-brakes on this car suck, and i'd rather leave my car in gear with no e-brake, than have the e-brake on and the car in neutral.