2013-2018 BMW X1 Parking Brake Problems and Adjustment

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

The 2013-2018 BMW X1 spans two very different parking brakes. The 2013-2015 X1 (E84) uses a hand lever and cables that pull a small set of brake shoes inside the rear rotor hat, and those shoes need periodic adjustment. The 2016-2018 X1 (F48) uses an electronic parking brake: a switch on the console tells a motor on each rear caliper to clamp the pads, and there is nothing to adjust, but rear pad jobs require the caliper motor to be retracted first.

Which Parking Brake Does Your X1 Have?

Look at the center console. A pull-up lever means you have the first-generation E84 cable system. A small pull-up switch with an LED means you have the second-generation F48 electronic system. The two share almost nothing mechanically, so the symptoms, the fixes and the parts are different.

2013-2015 X1 (E84): How the Lever System Works

BMW's owner's manual for the E84 describes the handbrake as primarily a device to stop the parked car from rolling, and it brakes only the rear wheels. The lever engages automatically as you pull it; to release it you pull up slightly, press the button and lower it. An indicator lamp and a chime warn you if you drive off with it set.

Behind the lever, a pair of Bowden cables run back to each rear wheel. BMW's parts catalog for the 2013 X1 xDrive28i lists the pieces at each corner: the cable, an expanding lock (the spreader the cable pulls), an adjusting screw, a springs repair kit, and the brake shoe set, which rides inside the rotor hat. BMW specifies the shoe diameter as 185 mm, and Zimmermann lists its replacement E84 shoe set at 185 mm by 20 mm wide. In other words, the inside of the rear rotor's hat is a small brake drum, and the shoes expand against it only when you pull the lever.

Common E84 Parking Brake Problems

• Lever pulls up too high or will not hold on a hill. The shoes and the drum surface wear, the gap grows, and the lever runs out of travel before the shoes bite. This is the classic sign the star-wheel adjuster needs to be turned out.
• Weak hold after sitting. The drum surface inside the rotor hat rusts and glazes because the shoes only touch it when parked. BMW's manual specifically recommends lightly applying the handbrake from time to time when coasting, where traffic allows, to prevent corrosion and uneven brake action.
• Dragging or a hot rear wheel. A seized cable, a broken return spring or a shoe that has come loose can keep contact with the drum after release.
• Scraping or rattling from a rear wheel. A broken shoe spring or displaced hardware inside the hat. This needs the rotor off to inspect.

How to Adjust the E84 Parking Brake

Adjustment is done at the shoes, not by cranking the cable tighter. Tightening the cable to make up for worn shoes hides the problem and can leave the shoes dragging.

1. Safely raise and support the rear of the car and release the handbrake fully. Put the transmission in neutral so the rear wheels can turn by hand.
2. Remove a wheel bolt so the access hole in the rotor hat lines up with the adjuster screw behind it. Turn the wheel until the adjuster teeth are visible through the hole.
3. Using a thin flat-blade screwdriver, turn the star wheel to expand the shoes until the wheel can no longer be turned by hand. The adjusters on the two sides turn in opposite directions.
4. Back the adjuster off until the wheel spins freely with no drag. Repeat on the other side.
5. Pull the lever a few times to seat everything, then confirm it holds the car within a few clicks and releases fully with no drag.
6. If the cable itself has stretched, cable tension is set at the lever end inside the console. Only touch it after the shoes have been adjusted correctly.

If turning the adjuster does nothing, it is usually seized. At that point the rear rotor comes off, and it is worth doing the whole corner: shoes, the springs kit, the adjuster and the expander, which BMW's catalog calls out as the parts required for a shoe replacement.

Bedding In New Shoes

New shoes on a fresh or resurfaced drum hold poorly until they conform. Adjust them, then follow the bedding procedure in the factory service information before relying on the lever to hold the car on a steep grade. Readjust after bedding if the lever travel has grown.

2016-2018 X1 (F48): Electronic Parking Brake Problems

On the F48, BMW's owner's handbook describes a switch you pull to apply the brake; the LED and a red indicator light up. With the Steptronic automatic, selecting P also applies it. To release, press the switch with your foot on the brake (or with P engaged), or simply press the accelerator with the engine running, a drive position selected, your seat belt fastened and the door closed. Pulling and holding the switch while moving is an emergency brake: the car brakes hard for as long as you hold it, a signal sounds and the brake lights come on.

The holding force comes from the rear disc pads. An electric actuator motor bolted to each rear caliper drives the piston out and locks it. BMW sells that actuator as a separate part for each side, and parts specialists note that failure of the motorized actuator is not uncommon.

Common F48 Parking Brake Problems

• "Parking brake malfunction" message. Usually one actuator motor, its connector or its wiring. A BMW-capable scan tool reads the fault stored in the parking brake module and tells you which side.
• Brake will not release after a dead battery. BMW's handbook says that after a power failure you switch on the ignition and press the switch with the brake pedal pressed or P engaged, and that it can take a few seconds and some noise before it works again.
• Brake sets but does not hold well. Look at rear pad thickness and the rotors first. Worn or glazed rear pads reduce parking hold just as they reduce stopping power.
• Grinding or clicking when applying. Some motor noise is normal. Repeated grinding, or one side not clamping, points to a failing actuator.

If the parking brake fails, BMW's instruction is to secure the vehicle against rolling away, for example with a wheel chock, whenever you leave it. Do not rely on P alone on a slope.

Rear Brake Pads on the F48: Service Mode First

This is where most do-it-yourself F48 rear brake jobs go wrong. Because the parking brake motor holds the caliper piston, you cannot simply push the piston back with a clamp. The piston has to be retracted through the parking brake module first, using a BMW-capable scan tool or app that has a parking brake workshop or service mode. The typical sequence is: enter workshop mode and retract the pistons, change the pads and rotors, then exit workshop mode so the system re-learns the new pad position. Forcing the piston back against the motor can damage the actuator you are trying to avoid replacing.

Once the job is done, apply and release the parking brake a few times with the car stationary and confirm the red indicator goes out on release. BMW also asks for a break-in period of roughly 300 miles after new pads or rotors, driven cautiously, so the pads and rotors develop a full contact pattern.

Parts to Replace Together

On the E84, parking brake shoes are hidden behind the rear rotor, so the best time to inspect or replace them is during a rear rotor job. If the shoes are worn or contaminated, replace both sides with fresh springs and adjusters. On both generations, rear pads should always be replaced as an axle set, and rotors worn below the minimum thickness stamped on them must be replaced with the pads.

For the rear brakes on these years, we carry the EBC Bluestuff NDX rear pad set for the 2013-2015 X1 and the EBC Yellowstuff rear pad set for the 2016-2018 X1. Up front, the EBC Bluestuff NDX front pad set for the F48 X1 fits the later car. Browse all brake pads, matching brake rotors, and brake hardware kits for the rest of the job. Always confirm fitment against your VIN, since the X1 changed brake sizes by engine and drivetrain.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the 2013-2015 BMW X1 have an electronic parking brake?

No. The E84 X1 uses a mechanical hand lever with cables to shoes inside the rear rotor hats. The electronic switch arrived with the 2016 F48 X1.

Why does my E84 X1 handbrake lever come up so high?

The rear parking brake shoes need adjusting. As the shoes and the drum surface in the rotor hat wear, the gap grows. Turn the star-wheel adjuster through the wheel bolt hole rather than tightening the cable.

Can I push back the rear caliper piston on a 2016-2018 X1 without a scan tool?

You should retract it through the parking brake module using a scan tool or app with a parking brake service mode. The piston is held by the actuator motor, and forcing it back risks damaging the actuator.

My F48 X1 says parking brake malfunction. Is it safe to drive?

The service brakes still work, but the parking brake may not hold the car. BMW says to secure the vehicle with a wheel chock when you leave it, and to have the system checked. A scan tool will show which rear actuator has the fault.

How does the F48 X1 parking brake release by itself?

With the engine running, a drive position selected, your seat belt fastened and the driver door closed, pressing the accelerator releases it automatically.

Should I replace E84 parking brake shoes when I replace rear rotors?

Inspect them every time the rotors come off. Replace them if the lining is thin, cracked, or soaked with grease or brake fluid, and fit new springs and adjusters at the same time.

Sources

1. BMW 2013 X1 Owner's Manual - E84 handbrake lever operation, rear-wheel braking, anti-corrosion use while coasting, 300-mile brake break-in
2. BMW X1 (F48) Owner's Handbook - electronic parking brake switch, automatic apply and release, emergency braking, malfunction and power-failure instructions
3. BMW parts catalog: 2013 X1 xDrive28i parking brake and shoes - E84 cable, expander, adjuster, springs kit and 185 mm shoe components
4. Zimmermann brake shoe set, BMW X1 E84 rear parking brake - 185 mm drum diameter, 20 mm shoe width
5. BimmerWorld: parking brake actuator, F48 X1 - caliper-mounted actuator motor on the 2016+ X1 and its failure tendency
6. ECS Tuning: BMW rear brake pad reset with electronic parking brake - scan-tool workshop mode to retract rear caliper pistons before pad replacement