I took my 2000 SS to a local Texas state inspector for my yearly safety inspection today. They failed the car due to a "non-functioning" emergency brake. The E brake works fine (It prevents the car from rolling forward). According to the inspector because she was able to drive forward with the e brake on it doesn't work. That doesn't seem right to me. This is a 325 HP V8 that is rear wheel drive. I don't think the tiny pads on the tiny rear rotors are going to EVER be able to stop it from driving forward by themselves. Any thoughts? Advice? Suggestions?

 

^ Could the pads somehow need replacing? Is there excess slack in the line -- I believe there is an adjuster in the rear...

 

The pads look fine both front and rear. The handle does need to be pulled almost all the way up to get it to work properly so I guess it's possible that the line could need adjusting. I've heard so many people say so many different things about where the line is and how to adjust it (Just pull the handle a few times, remove the center console and in the back) that I'd really rather not bother as it is working as intended in my opinion. I'm torn whether I should just take it to another inspection place to try to get it to pass or pay the dealership to "fix" it.

 

Thats a new one for me.

 

I'd take it some where else and see whether they'll pass it or not. Seems like a dumb reason to me to fail if it's technically in working order.

 

Well according to them it isn't in working order as the car will go forward with it set. I tired it and it seemed like it needed a lot of gas to go with it set. Funny thing is is that the guy in front of me in line had his car failed for the same problem. Also the woman who "inspected" my car stalled it twice. I'm starting to think more and more that they are just scam artists.

 

I'd defiantly go some where else, preferably a small shop that does it. That's where I take mine and all he does is put it on the lift, check the tire tread, suspension parts and then slaps a sticker on it. Any time he finds something wrong he'll tell me to go home, fix it, then bring it back so he can put a sticker on it. Even so, the parking brake is only supposed to be able to hold the car back when it's not running...that's why it's called a parking brake now.

 

The pads that stop your car in the back are NOT what the parking brake uses -- it seems you do not understand this. They are different -- in the back of the rotor.

 

Maybe not in the V6 models, but in the V8 models, the pads that stop the car are the same used to hold the car when the parking brake is applied. Ours don't have the "auxiliary drum brake" (where a drum is mounted in the rotor) others do. Ours have a lever and corkscrew that when the parking brake is pulled, the lever pushes the corkscrew against the piston pushing the pads against the rotor.

 

Again conflicting reports. I've heard about the weird drum brake rotor thing but I've also been told that its the rear disc pads (The car is Disc in both the front and rear). I guess I could look at the rear pads while someone tanks on the brake to be sure. I'm just going to take it to my regular shop to have it done I doubt it will fail. I've should've known better than to go to this weird new sticker xpress place. But hey they were open on a Saturday...