1998-2002 Subaru Forester Parking Brake Problems and Adjustment

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

A 1998-2002 Subaru Forester parking brake that pulls too high, will not hold on a hill, or drags after release almost always comes down to one of three things: shoes that were never adjusted after a brake job, a seized or rusted cable, or worn parking brake linings. The fix depends on your trim. L models use the rear drum shoes as the parking brake and adjust themselves; S models with rear discs have a small separate drum inside the rotor that has to be adjusted by hand.

Which Parking Brake Does Your Forester Have?

Every first-generation Forester has front disc brakes, but the rear brakes split by trim. Per Subaru specification listings for 1998 through 2002, the L has front discs with rear drums, while the S has discs at all four wheels. Both use four-channel ABS. Look through the rear wheel spokes: if you see a caliper and a flat rotor face, you have the disc setup. If you see a closed drum, you have the L setup.

Subaru's 2001 Forester factory service manual describes the two parking brakes this way:

That last row is the number to remember. Count the clicks as you pull the lever firmly. Fewer than 7 can mean the shoes sit too close and may drag; many more than 8 means slack somewhere in the system and weak holding power.

Common Parking Brake Problems and What Causes Them

Lever pulls too high or the car rolls on a grade

On an S model this is usually shoe clearance. The rear disc parking shoes do not self-adjust, so as the linings wear, or after someone replaces the rotors without resetting the shoes, the lever travel grows. Stretched cables and a loose adjusting nut at the lever add to it. On an L model, excess travel points more toward worn rear shoes, a sticking automatic adjuster, or a cable that is binding and not returning fully.

Brake drags or a rear wheel gets hot after release

Subaru's own diagnostic table for this chassis lists four causes for parking brake drag: a maladjusted lever, a cable that does not move, maladjusted shoe clearance, and a faulty return spring. In rust-belt cars the cable is the usual suspect. Water gets past a cracked boot, the inner cable rusts inside the outer sheath, and it will pull on but not spring back.

Scraping or rattling from the rear

The same table lists a faulty return spring or shoe hold-down spring as the cause of parking brake noise. A broken spring lets a shoe flop against the inside of the rotor hat. Pull the rotor and look before the loose shoe chews up the drum surface.

Rotor will not come off during a brake job

This is the classic S model complaint. A lip worn into the parking drum surface traps the shoes. Subaru's procedure is to back the shoes off through the adjusting hole first, and if the rotor is rusted to the hub, thread 8-mm bolts into the threaded holes in the rotor to push it off. Do not hammer on the rotor with the shoes still expanded; you will bend the backing plate or the shoe hardware.

How to Adjust the Parking Brake on a Rear Disc (S) Forester

Adjust the shoes first, then the lever. Doing it the other way around just takes up shoe clearance with cable, which leaves the brake weak and can cause drag.

1. Shoe clearance. With the wheel off, remove the rubber adjusting hole cover from the backing plate. Using a flat-blade screwdriver, turn the adjusting screw until the shoes are in close contact with the rotor and it will not turn freely. Then turn the adjusting screw back (downward) 3 or 4 notches. Refit the rubber cover so water stays out. Do both sides.
2. Seat the system. Remove the console box lid to expose the lever adjusting nut and lock nut. Pull the parking brake lever forcibly 3 to 5 times to take the slack out of the cables and equalizer.
3. Lever stroke. Turn the adjusting nut until the lever comes up 7 to 8 notches with a firm pull of about 196 N (44 lb). Tighten the lock nut to 5.9 N-m (4.3 ft-lb) and refit the console lid.
4. Check for drag. With the lever down, each rear wheel should spin by hand with only light pad contact and no shoe scrape.

If you just installed new parking brake shoes, Subaru calls for a short break-in: drive at about 22 mph (35 km/h), hold the release button in and pull the lever gently, drive about 0.12 mile (200 m) like that, let the brake cool 5 to 10 minutes, repeat once, then re-adjust. New shoes seat against the drum during this step, and skipping it leaves the brake weak.

Adjusting the Rear Drum (L) Forester

On the L, the parking brake lever and cable act on the same leading-trailing shoes that do the service braking, and the shoe clearance adjusts itself. That means there is usually nothing to adjust at the wheel. If the stroke is long, inspect the shoes and drums against the limits in the table above and check the adjuster for rust or seizure. When reassembling, Subaru sets the shoe outside diameter 0.5 to 0.8 mm (0.020 to 0.031 in) smaller than the drum inside diameter before the drum goes on, and calls for brake grease on the adjusting screw and both ends of the adjuster. If the drum is stuck, the same approach applies: back the adjuster off through the access hole and use 8-mm bolts in the drum to push it free. Once the shoes are right, set the lever to the same 7 to 8 notches at the console.

What to Replace at the Same Time

• Rotors (S models): the parking brake drum is machined into the rear rotor hat. If the drum surface is past 171 mm or deeply grooved, the rotor is done even if the pad face is fine. Shop replacement brake rotors and confirm the rear fitment for your trim.
• Shoes, both sides: the factory manual says to replace left and right shoes together. Subaru lists a rear parking brake shoe kit (part 26298AA030) for the 1998-2008 Forester. Rear drum models need full service shoes; see our brake shoes.
• Springs and hardware: return springs and hold-down springs are cheap and are the listed cause of drag and noise. Use new retainers when attaching the shoes to the levers, as Subaru specifies. A brake hardware kit covers most of it.
• Cables: check that each cable moves smoothly, that the inner cable is free of rust and fraying, that the outer sheath is not bent or cracked, and that the boot is intact. A cable that fails any of those gets replaced, not lubricated and hoped for.
• Rear pads: while the caliper is off, measure the rear pads. Subaru's standard is 14 mm including the backing plate with a 6.5 mm service limit, and pads are always replaced in left and right pairs. Browse brake pads.

How Hard Is the Job?

A lever-only adjustment is a short job with a socket and the console lid off. Setting shoe clearance on an S model adds wheel removal on both sides and is still well within home-mechanic range. Replacing the parking brake shoes is the fiddly part: the primary and secondary return springs are color coded, the left and right levers and struts are not interchangeable, and the adjuster has to go in the correct way round. Lay out one side and use it as a reference while you do the other. Keep grease off the linings, and grease the six shoe contact points on the backing plate, as the manual specifies. Torque the caliper and support bolts to the values in the factory service manual.

One related note for 1999 owners: NHTSA recall 99V040000 covered ABS-equipped 1999 Foresters whose brake pedal could go to the floor in extremely cold weather; dealers replaced the master cylinder. It is a service brake issue, not a parking brake one, but it is worth confirming it was done on any used Forester. Manual-transmission Foresters also have a hill holder, a separate clutch-linked valve that holds hydraulic pressure on a hill. It is not the parking brake and is adjusted separately.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many clicks should a 1998-2002 Forester parking brake have?

Subaru specifies 7 to 8 notches when the lever is pulled with about 196 N (44 lb) of force. Count with a firm, steady pull, not a yank.

Does the Forester parking brake adjust itself?

On L models with rear drums, yes, the shoe clearance adjusts automatically. On S models with rear discs, the drum-in-hat parking shoes are adjusted manually through a hole in the backing plate.

Where is the parking brake adjuster on a Forester?

The cable adjusting nut and lock nut are at the base of the parking brake lever, under the console box lid. On S models the shoe adjusting screw is behind a rubber plug on the rear backing plate.

Why does my rear rotor not come off?

The parking shoes are holding it. Back the adjusting screw off through the access hole so the shoes retract, then use 8-mm bolts in the rotor's threaded holes if it is also rusted to the hub.

Can I just tighten the cable instead of adjusting the shoes?

You can get the click count right that way, but it hides worn or poorly adjusted shoes and can leave the brake dragging. Set shoe clearance first, then the lever stroke.

Do I need new rotors if the parking brake is weak?

Only if the parking drum inside the rotor hat is past its 171 mm service limit or badly scored. Measure it before buying parts.

Sources

1. Subaru 2001 Forester Service Manual, Parking Brake (PB) section - parking brake types, drum and lining specs, lever stroke, shoe and lever adjustment, break-in, cable inspection, diagnostic table
2. Subaru 2001 Forester Service Manual, Brake (BR) section - rear rotor and drum removal, rear pad and rotor limits, drum shoe setting and grease points, hill holder
3. Cars101 Forester archives - 1998-2000 L rear drum and S rear disc configuration, 4-channel ABS
4. Cars101 2002 Forester - 2002 L rear drum and S rear disc configuration
5. NHTSA recall data, 1999 Subaru Forester - recall 99V040000, master cylinder replacement
6. Genuine Subaru rear parking brake shoe kit 26298AA030 - fitment for 1998-2008 Forester