2009-2014 Nissan Maxima Parking Brake Problems and Adjustment

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

The 2009-2014 Nissan Maxima uses a foot-operated parking brake pedal that pulls cables to a small set of drum brake shoes hidden inside the hat of each rear rotor. When the parking brake feels weak, will not hold on a hill, drags, or the rear rotors refuse to come off during a brake job, the cause is almost always in that drum-in-hat assembly or its cables. Most problems are fixed by adjusting the shoes, freeing seized hardware, or replacing worn shoes and rotors, followed by the break-in Nissan calls for.

How the Maxima Parking Brake Works

Nissan's owner's manuals for this generation describe a pedal, not a hand lever: to engage it you firmly depress the parking brake pedal, and to release it you hold the foot brake, put the shifter in P, and firmly depress the parking brake pedal again so it releases. Before driving, the brake warning light should go out.

Under the car, the pedal pulls a front cable to an equalizer, which splits the pull evenly to a left and right rear cable. Each rear cable runs to a lever and cam on the rear backing plate. The cam spreads two small brake shoes outward against the inside of the rotor's hat section, which acts as a miniature drum. The rear disc brake caliper and pads do the normal stopping; the shoes inside the hat only hold the parked car and act as an emergency brake. Nissan's manuals refer to "parking brake shoes and/or drum/rotors" for exactly this reason: the rotor is also the parking brake drum.

Because the shoes only touch the drum when the pedal is applied, they wear very slowly. The bigger enemy is lack of use. As Brake & Front End explains, when the parking brake is rarely used, rust and corrosion build up inside the drum and the drum-in-hat rotor can stick to the parking brake shoes.

Common Problems and Symptoms

That warning light deserves attention. On these Maximas a single red brake light covers both the parking brake and the hydraulic system. Nissan states that if the light comes on while the engine is running with the parking brake not applied, you should stop and check the brake fluid level, and if the fluid is at the correct level, have the warning system checked. If fluid is below the MIN mark, Nissan says not to drive until the brake system has been checked. Never assume a red brake light is "just the parking brake" without confirming the pedal is fully released.

How to Test the Parking Brake

Nissan's own owner check is simple: the vehicle should be held securely on a fairly steep hill with only the parking brake applied. If it is not, the manual says to have the parking brake adjusted. A careful home version of that test:

1. On a moderate slope, with your foot on the service brake, set the parking brake firmly and shift to neutral.
2. Slowly ease off the service brake, ready to reapply it. The car should not creep.
3. Repeat facing the other direction. Drum-in-hat shoes often hold better one way than the other when they are marginal.
4. Note how far the pedal travels. A pedal that sinks much further than it used to points to adjustment or cable stretch rather than a broken part.

Then raise the rear of the car safely on stands, release the parking brake, and spin each rear wheel by hand. It should turn with only light pad drag. Apply the pedal partway and both wheels should be equally hard to turn. One wheel locking while the other spins usually means a seized cable or adjuster on the free side.

Adjusting the Shoes

Adjustment happens in two places: at the shoes inside each rotor hat, and at the cable. Always do the shoes first. Adjusting only the cable to make up for loose shoes uses up cable travel and can leave the shoes dragging.

On drum-in-hat designs like the Maxima, the shoes are spread by a star-wheel adjuster that you reach through an access hole in the rotor, sealed with a rubber plug. Depending on the rotor, the hole may be in the face of the hat or on the back side. With the wheel off and the rotor held in place with a couple of lug nuts, you turn the star wheel with a brake spoon or flat screwdriver while spinning the rotor. One direction tightens the shoes against the drum and the other backs them off; if you feel drag increasing, you are tightening.

The usual approach is to tighten the shoes until the rotor stops turning, then back the adjuster off a specific number of notches, then adjust the cable to the factory pedal stroke. Brake & Front End's advice here is worth following exactly: never estimate. If the service manual calls for backing off a set number of teeth, use that number, not one more or one fewer. The exact back-off count and the pedal stroke specification for your year are in the Nissan service manual (PB section); use those values rather than a guess.

After adjusting, Nissan calls for a parking brake break-in whenever the parking brake feels weak or whenever the shoes or drum/rotors are replaced. The owner's manual states that the procedure is described in the vehicle service manual and can be performed by a Nissan dealer. It involves lightly applying the parking brake while driving slowly in a safe, empty area to seat the shoes against the drum, with cooling time in between. Skipping it is a common reason a freshly serviced parking brake still will not hold.

Stuck Rear Rotors During a Brake Job

This is the parking brake problem most Maxima owners actually meet: the rear pads are worn, the caliper is off, and the rotor will not budge. Do not hammer it until you have backed off the parking brake shoes. Release the pedal fully, pull the rubber plug from the access hole, and turn the star wheel in the loosening direction a few clicks while rocking the rotor. Brake & Front End notes that once the shoes are backed off you may still need to tap the rotor to break rust between the hat and the hub, but you will no longer risk damaging the parking brake assembly.

With the rotor off, inspect the parking brake hardware before going back together: lining thickness on both shoes, the hold-down pins and springs, the adjuster threads, and whether the cable lever moves freely. A seized adjuster or broken spring found now saves a second teardown later.

What to Replace Together

• Rear rotors: the hat is the parking brake drum, so a new rotor gives a fresh drum surface as well as a fresh pad surface. If the inside of the hat is badly scored or has a deep lip, replacing the rotor is the clean fix. See our brake rotors.
• Parking brake shoes: replace them as a pair across the axle if the lining is thin, cracked, oil-soaked or separating. Browse brake shoes.
• Shoe hardware: springs and hold-downs lose tension and rust. A brake hardware kit is inexpensive insurance.
• Rear pads: if the rotors are coming off anyway and the pads are worn, do them now. Nissan's pads on this car have audible wear indicators that make a high-pitched scraping sound when replacement is due. Shop brake pads or ceramic brake pads.
• Cables: if a cable is frayed, kinked, or will not return on its own, replace it rather than soaking it in penetrant. Brake & Front End points out that lubricants can draw grime into the housing and solvents can wash it deeper.

When reassembling, put brake grease only on the shoe-to-backing-plate contact points and adjuster threads, and wipe all grease and fingerprints off the friction surfaces. Grease on the shoes or the inside of the hat will kill holding power.

How Hard Is the Job?

Backing off the adjuster to free a stuck rotor is a basic, driveway-level task. Full shoe replacement is moderate: the springs and hold-downs are small and fiddly, and it helps to do one side at a time so the other side serves as a reference. Cable and equalizer work is more involved because it is underneath the car. If you do not have the service manual's back-off count and pedal stroke specification, or the means to perform the break-in safely, a shop can do the adjustment and break-in after you replace the parts.

One last note on fluid: Nissan's owner's manual specifies DOT 3 brake fluid for this Maxima. Parking brake work does not open the hydraulic system, but if you also replace calipers or hoses, use the correct fluid and bleed the system.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the 2009-2014 Maxima have an electronic parking brake?

No. Nissan's owner's manuals for this generation describe a mechanical foot-operated pedal: depress it to set and depress it again to release. It works through cables to drum shoes inside the rear rotor hats.

Why will my Maxima's rear rotor not come off?

The parking brake shoes inside the rotor hat are holding it, often because rust has built up from a parking brake that is rarely used. Back off the star-wheel adjuster through the rotor's access hole before tapping the rotor off.

Can I just tighten the parking brake cable?

Only after the shoes are adjusted. Tightening the cable to compensate for loose shoes uses up cable travel and can cause dragging. Adjust the shoes first, then set the cable to the factory pedal stroke.

Do I need to break in new parking brake shoes?

Yes. Nissan calls for a parking brake break-in whenever the shoes or drum/rotors are replaced, or when parking brake effectiveness is weak. The procedure is in the service manual and a Nissan dealer can perform it.

Why is my brake warning light on when the parking brake is off?

On this Maxima the same red light warns of low brake fluid. Check that the pedal is fully released, then check the fluid level. If fluid is below MIN, Nissan says not to drive until the brake system has been checked.

Sources

1. Nissan, 2014 Maxima Owner's Manual - pedal parking brake engage and release, brake warning light and low fluid behavior, parking brake break-in, hill-hold check, DOT 3 fluid, audible pad wear indicators
2. Nissan, 2010 Maxima Owner's Manual - same foot-pedal parking brake and break-in requirement for parking brake shoes and drum/rotors on the earlier years
3. Brake & Front End, Adjusting Parking Brakes - drum-in-hat construction, star-wheel adjustment, exact back-off counts, equalizer and cable failure symptoms, cable lubrication cautions
4. Brake & Front End, Removing a Stuck Rear Rotor - rust inside the drum from disuse, backing off the adjuster through the access hole, inspecting shoes and hardware