Parking brake stuck on

Five months ago, we purchased our 2012 Nissan Leaf. We love it.

A few days ago, my wife used the parking brake and afterward it would not disengage. I looked up the issue and followed the manual procedure for releasing the parking brake via using the emergency tool in the trunk hole method.

However, the rear drum brakes continue to be engaged. The car is not driveable. I've rechecked my work and can find no fault with mine.

It appears the rear drum brakes are stuck on.

How is this possible?

The Leaf did experience a rear end collision and body work a few months ago.

Could this be an instance of poor auto work?

Problems with the parking brake seem common place.

Is there a recall or similar?


Thanks!

How long was it parked with the brake set?
Could it just be stuck due to rust?

garsh said:

How long was it parked with the brake set?
Could it just be stuck due to rust?

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It was parked less than a day.

JWSJ said:

garsh said:

How long was it parked with the brake set?
Could it just be stuck due to rust?

Click to expand...

It was parked less than a day.

Click to expand...

Was it raining when you parked it, or very high humidity? I agree, kind of sounds like the pads stuck to the rotor, have you try accelerating very hard, or possibly in reverse? I had an issue on a vehicle where the pads stuck to the rotors(after parking a few days after driving in the rain) and initially it refused to move, after accelerating fairly hard I heard a crack as the pads broke lose from the rotor, was fine after that.
Note if accelerating fairly hard while the car is stationary be very careful as when the pads do finally break lose the car may lunge.

jjeff said:

JWSJ said:

garsh said:

How long was it parked with the brake set?
Could it just be stuck due to rust?

Click to expand...

It was parked less than a day.

Click to expand...

Was it raining when you parked it, or very high humidity? I agree, kind of sounds like the pads stuck to the rotor, have you try accelerating very hard, or possibly in reverse? I had an issue on a vehicle where the pads stuck to the rotors(after parking a few days after driving in the rain) and initially it refused to move, after accelerating fairly hard I heard a crack as the pads broke lose from the rotor, was fine after that.
Note if accelerating fairly hard while the car is stationary be very careful as when the pads do finally break lose the car may lunge.

Click to expand...

The car moves fine in reverse. Moving forward is possible, but it required a lot more effort than normal and the brakes seem engaged and dragging.

There was no rain or high humidity.

I know my regular disc brakes stick a little bit after I wash the car, but not the parking brake, and not like you're describing.

I'm out of ideas. If you like working on your car, try to pull that drum off & see what's going on. Otherwise, take it to a garage and get it fixed. It's probably a simple problem. Good luck!

JWSJ said:

jjeff said:

JWSJ said:

It was parked less than a day.

Click to expand...

Was it raining when you parked it, or very high humidity? I agree, kind of sounds like the pads stuck to the rotor, have you try accelerating very hard, or possibly in reverse? I had an issue on a vehicle where the pads stuck to the rotors(after parking a few days after driving in the rain) and initially it refused to move, after accelerating fairly hard I heard a crack as the pads broke lose from the rotor, was fine after that.
Note if accelerating fairly hard while the car is stationary be very careful as when the pads do finally break lose the car may lunge.

Click to expand...

The car moves fine in reverse. Moving forward is possible, but it required a lot more effort than normal and the brakes seem engaged and dragging.

There was no rain or high humidity.

Click to expand...

If thats the case then do NOT drive the car for more than a few feet, for example don't drive it to a shop, have it towed. Driving in that state would cause the rotors to overheat causing much more problems than whatever is sticking. Not sure what to think when you said everything is fine in reverse.....BTW aren't all Leaf brakes pad and rotors? I know my '12SL is...as Garsh said, sounds like to time to take it in, that or if your mechanical and have the time, l try taking it apart yourself and see if you see anything that looks odd.

jjeff said:

BTW aren't all Leaf brakes pad and rotors?

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Yes, but the parking brake is actually a separate little drum brake on the back wheels. See here for some pictures & adjustments that can be made.

garsh said:

Yes, but the parking brake is actually a separate little drum brake on the back wheels. See here for some pictures & adjustments that can be made.

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If the parking brake is engaged, would the car be able to move backwards easily?

If no, what could be the problem with just moving forward?

I guess if one end of the pad were wedged against the drum , it would allow rolling in one direction, but would bind in the other. But that's a guess.

If I'm remembering correctly, on the 2011/12 there is an electric motor in the back that pulls/releases the cables connected to the parking brake drums. If manually retracting the cable tension didn't fix it certainly sounds like you have something seized up in the drum itself, rather than an electronic control or parking brake motor problem.

Best of luck,
Rob

Hi the parking foot brake is manual ie cable its locked on because the pedal ratchet is stuck on the foot pedal so the harder you push it the tighter the brake gets see if you can take a look at the pedal mechanism thats where your fault is 100 percent

damage690 said:

Hi the parking foot brake is manual ie cable its locked on because the pedal ratchet is stuck on the foot pedal so the harder you push it the tighter the brake gets see if you can take a look at the pedal mechanism thats where your fault is 100 percent

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For clarification, you're suggesting that the problem is a stuck floor foot brake pedal?

The rear drum brakes appear engaged even without applying the floor foot brake pedal. Is the floor brake pedal attached to the drum brakes too?

JWSJ said:

damage690 said:

Hi the parking foot brake is manual ie cable its locked on because the pedal ratchet is stuck on the foot pedal so the harder you push it the tighter the brake gets see if you can take a look at the pedal mechanism thats where your fault is 100 percent

Click to expand...

For clarification, you're suggesting that the problem is a stuck floor foot brake pedal?

The rear drum brakes appear engaged even without applying the floor foot brake pedal. Is the floor brake pedal attached to the drum brakes too?

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The 2013 and newer (in USA) Leafs use a ratcheting foot pedal for the parking brake. 2011 and 2012 Leafs have an electric motor that pulls the cable to apply the parking brake.

If you have followed the procedure to manually release the cable on a 2011 or 2012, then it is a mechanical issue with the parking brake shoes stuck (due to mechanical binding of the cable or the pivot points at the small drum brake units). The fact that the car is easier to move in the reverse direction than forward indicates that the problem is with the parking brake and not with the disc brake pads sticking to the front or rear rotors.

FWIW, I never had an issue with the electric parking brake actuator on the 2011 using it every time I parked. I have already had the foot pedal parking brake system fixed once (dealer said it was just cable adjustment, but it felt like something slipped in the ratcheting pedal) and it will need adjustment again when I take the 2015 in for the annual battery test.

Gerry

Now my Leaf 2012 has faced the same problem after a car wash at home...
Normally the brakes do get rust daily after I wash it...and solves the rusting problem by being hard on accelerator ...
Unfortunately, revently I couldnt move my car...even not barely.. then i use the trunk hole with the tool to release handbrake.
Still doesnt work..Now the car cant move even barely...
The tires are slidding and not rotating while trying to move...and brakes screeches loudly...
Please help.

hasithaleaf2012 said:

Now my Leaf 2012 has faced the same problem after a car wash at home...
Normally the brakes do get rust daily after I wash it...and solves the rusting problem by being hard on accelerator ...
Unfortunately, revently I couldnt move my car...even not barely.. then i use the trunk hole with the tool to release handbrake.
Still doesnt work..Now the car cant move even barely...
The tires are slidding and not rotating while trying to move...and brakes screeches loudly...
Please help.

Click to expand...

If you're trying to fix the parking brake actuator:
https://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=17757

If you're trying to get the car to actually move, there's a dial in the trunk (underneath the carpet, cardboard spacer, etc) that you can turn to manually release the parking brake on a 2011/2012. I haven't ever manually released the cable, and I'd have to check the service manual to know how to do so.