1999 Nissan Maxima Parking Brake Failed After Brakes

NISSAN MAXIMA
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RICOLAW
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
99 Nissan Maxima, 125,000 miles. I had the brake pads and rotors changed, front and rear. The parking brake worked fine before it went to the shop. When I picked it up, the brake handle comes all the way up and the parking brake does not work anymore. I brought it back and the shop says the cable is stretched and it will require a new cable, $300-400 job (on top of the $450 job for new brakes and rotors). Does the brake repair they did have anything to do with the parking brake now being broken or is it just a bad coincidence? I appreciate any insight. Thanks
Jan 17, 2006 at 3:10 AM
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FISHERMAN
  • ✓Experienced Mechanic
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I Think They Didn`t make a good job!

That car (like mine) Has disc brakes on the four wheels, and its kind of tricki adjusting the parking brake, but, it can`t be that expensive, it just be the adjustment, because it was good before!

Or its their fault and they broke the cable or they didn`t adjusted good!!

Hope it helps.

Sorry for my bad Inglish.

Manuel :)
Jan 17, 2006 at 7:49 AM
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RICOLAW
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Thanks for the advice.

I really didn't know whether front/rear brake repair even involved messing with the parking brake and found it odd, that if the cable were simply "stretched", it would work fine when it went in and then completely not work when I picked it up.

I would have thought it would be a gradual "stretching". Plus, I read somewhere that if you do rear brake work, be sure the parking brake is off, and didn't know if maybe that's what happened. and if that would cause the parking brake to now not work. :?
Jan 20, 2006 at 5:57 AM
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Suggested Repair

Have the parking brake readjusted before replacing the cable. On this all-disc Maxima, rear brake work requires careful parking-brake adjustment, and a sudden total failure right after service points to missed adjustment or possible cable damage by the shop rather than a cable that suddenly stretched. Adjustment should be far less costly than a new cable.

Conversation Summary

The owner of a 1999 Nissan Maxima said the parking brake worked before front and rear pads and rotors were replaced, then the handle pulled fully up and the parking brake no longer held. The shop blamed a stretched cable and quoted $300-400 to replace it. The expert said the shop likely did poor work: adjustment on this four-wheel disc setup is tricky but should not be that expensive, and because it worked before service the problem is likely improper adjustment or a cable damaged during the job rather than coincidence.

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