I own a 2013 Wrangler Unlimited. Since new, the parking brake has been ever-more-difficult to engage. On October 26, I was using the Jeep around my property and had to exit the vehicle while in neutral (auto transmission) and attempted to engage the parking brake. If the handle is pulled slowly, SOMETIMES the brake engages enou…
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I own a 2013 Wrangler Unlimited. Since new, the parking brake has been ever-more-difficult to engage. On October 26, I was using the Jeep around my property and had to exit the vehicle while in neutral (auto transmission) and attempted to engage the parking brake. If the handle is pulled slowly, SOMETIMES the brake engages enough to hold. In this particular instance, I pulled the handle slowly, felt some resistance to indicate the brake engaged, and exited the vehicle. The brake then relieved enough pressure to allow the vehicle to roll back into a hole form where a stump had been. Fortunately I was not injured and the Jeep did not collide with anything. This emphasized to me a previously-known safety issue with the product. The design of the brake lever is supposed to be self-adjusting, however in reality, the clutch mechanism to do this allows slippage to the point where the handle hits the backstop prior to engaging the brakes on many Wrangler JKs that are only a few years old. This is a well documented problem in JK forums and many owners have created workarounds to force the mechanism to maintain tension on the parking brake cables. I have not done this to mine, and consequentially have not had a reliably functioning for years. For obvious reasons, this flaw in the parking brake design (especially on vehicles offered with manual transmissions puts public safety at risk. Ilderton Chrysler Jeep Dodge in Winston Salem failed this vehicle on safety inspection in 2020 as a result of this, but I did not authorize a diagnostic investigation, as I was already aware of the problem. I was able to jiggle the parking brake enough to cause it to engage enough to pass inspection. Within 1 - 2 pulls, the brake was completely unusable again. I have checked parking brake shoe to drum clearance and verified that the rear is adjusted correctly for engagement. The problem only exists in the design of the lever. No warning lamps related to the lever/integrated switch.
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