Silverado Failed State Inspection

[woyster_00z71]

I realized yesterday that my state inspection (Texas) had expired so I took it to be inspected.  Anyway, they failed my truck due to an inoperable emergency brake...it would not hold the vehicle.  They tested this by depressing the emergency brake and then putting the truck in reverse.

 

So, I never use the emergency brake but it is part of the inspection process.  When I got home, I depressed the E-brake and the pedal goes to the floor and it rolls backwards down my driveway.  Is there just a cable under the truck that needs tightened or is there something more to adjusting the E-brake on a 2000 Silverado?

 

I have 15 days to fix the problem and return for a free re-inspection to get my window sticker but would like to get it done ASAP as I don't want to attract attention to my vehicle for an inspection violation and have them catch me speeding too.  

 

B.J.

[seadoons]

I didn't know they checked the e-brake here in the Lone Star State, but it should just be an easy adjustment.  Look underneath the truck - the cable runs from the ebrake pedal, under the carpet, and out the floor underneath where the drivers feet are.  It runs down the outside of the driver's side frame...look for slack in that line, and look for some point where it has an adjustment.  Is the truck still under warranty?

[GnatGoSplat]

Mine does the same thing, but they don't check that in Missouri so I never bothered to fix it.  I'll check Alldata and see what I come up with.

[sonjaab]

DO you have rear disc brakes on that 00?

My 01 does and don't hold worth schucks!

But it passes NY inspection !

If you have drums there is a cables underneath

with a adjusment bolt on the cables...EASY fix!

..........geo

[RyanbabZ71]

I may be wrong but its not an actual emergency brake.  Its a parking brake

[ricobeach]

My 2000 Silverado has a similar problem (about 50K mi).  The parking brake does not hold at all.  I took it to the dealer to be checked and they said that it needed new brake shoes and wanted $280 to do it!  (The rear brakes are disk but there are brake shoes near the rotors that act as the parking brake)  I told them I would drive without it for awhile.  Supposedly the parking brake system is self adjusting so there isn't much to tinker with on the adjustment side.  I am going to try to get another quote at a tire and brake shop to see if the dealer is way off or not.  

I've seen several other people posting about similar parking brake problems so it's starting to look like GM has a poor design for this system.  I've never had a parking brake fail on any vehicle no matter what the mileage.  I hope that if this problem becomes more widespread, GM will be forced to institute a recall.  One way to help draw some attention to this is to complain to NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Admin) at  www.nhtsa.dot.gov .  If enough complaints are received, they will start a safety inquiry into the problem.  

 

If anyone knows of a cheap way to fix the parking brake problem, please post it.

 

Rico

[gnet158]

My E-brake stopped holding my 02 Sierra after about 10,000 miles.  I didn't think much about it until I had my truck lifted.  I park in the driveway now and HATED having her roll back after I put her in park & applied the E-brake.  She was due for an oil change anyway so I asked my local mechanic to adjust the back brakes for me.  He changed me 1-hour labor, which worked out to be $30.  Now my E-brake is very solid & firm.  It is way better than when I first got her.  So just call around or take to your mechanic and ask him how much he’ll charge to have them adjusted.  

[GnatGoSplat]

I think there is a thread on the cable that could possibly be adjusted, but here's all that Alldata had to say:

 

Adjustments

 

IMPORTANT: Before you adjust the parking brake, verify that the park brake shoes are adjusted to provide a clearance of 0.026 in.

 

 

 

Verify that the self adjuster lock out pin has be removed.

Fully apply and release the park brake lever 3 times.

 

Whatever the heck the "self adjuster lock out pin" is, I have no idea and can't find it in Alldata.

[woyster_00z71]

It sounds like this problem is more serious than I thought.  All I want is an inspection sticker!  Why couldn't I have gone to one of the places that doesn't check the parking brake!  

 

The inspector did say that about 50% of the new body style Silverados, Tahoes, Suburbans that he inspects fail due to a non-functional parking brake.  Sounds like the general has a problem.

 

To make things worse, my '01 Tahoe has the same problem.  Pedal goes to the floor and the Tahoe rolls down the driveway.  I guess I have some work to do this weekend.  I'll have to tell the wife that arbor/deck in the back yard will have to wait.  

 

If anyone else knows of an easy fix, let me know.  Otherwise I will take it apart this weekend, take a look, fix it if possible, and then post what I found/how I fixed it.

 

B.J.

[woyster_00z71]

Another question...is the parking brake only on the driver's side?  I know in the past it has only been on the driver's side, but I don't know about these new ones.

 

B.J.

[Black02Silverado]

Did a little searching in Google and found these. Interesting to know about the Parking brakes.

 

Found this on another forum.  

Click here

 

The following was at this site here

 

Yeah, I had similar problems with my 99 Silverado.

In the 3 years and 100,000 miles I have had the truck, I have had the following happen:

 

*Transmission failed.

*ABS controller failed.

*Windows failed several times (I even used lock-tight on the screws on the times that I fixed it myself and they still come loose)

*Window motor failed.

*Engine knocks on startup (According to GM, this is by design - but it took them several years of other explanations to come up with that one)

*Door seals are terrible (they even replaced the rear windows, explaining that the latches were the problem for wind noise)

*Driver seat adjustment failed.

*The throttle sticks (this has happened numerous times. They tell you that you need to have the throttle body cleaned, but about 5,000 miles later, the throttle is sticking again.

*The rear rotors needed to be replaced $$$ (apparently, they don't tell you that you need to have the parking brake "adjusted" about every 30k miles or so - mine got loose and rubbed the inside of the rotor causing an expensive repair on both my Silverado and my wife’s Tahoe)

*Parking brake pedal assembly broke

*Antenna cable corroded and broke (antenna cable????)

*Battery terminal broke off (when I walked into the car parts dealer, he just looked and said “Chevy?”

and probably much more than I can think of right now.

 

So, if you know anyone who would like to buy a nice truck...

[atrautweiler]

My '99 and '02 had this problem. I like my brake to work simply so the mass of the truck doesn't rest on the tranny.

[Markeaux]

I'm in TX, too.  When I got my 01 Tahoe inspected a few months ago the inspector said a lot of the e-brakes on the nbs trucks are failing inspection because the won't hold when tranny put in D.  He did me a favor by trying mine real quick before actually starting the inspection, it held ok and passed ... BUT the pedal does go all the way to the floor, always has since new - I guess I should try to get it warranty-fixed so that it has a firmer actuation.

[Dihappy]

The EBrake on these trucks sucks big time.

 

You need to remove the driverside rear rotor.  Underneath you will find a C shaped parking brake shoe.  It has an adjustment just like the old style.  Adjust it there and you should be ok for a few thousand miles.

 

You may need to replace it if its worn, they aint worth a darn!

[timk49]

 Supposedly the parking brake system is self adjusting so there isn't much to tinker with on the adjustment side.  

I don't have much faith in self adjusters. At some piont they stop working. Adjust them manually.