2005-2014 Honda Ridgeline Parking Brake Problems and Adjustment

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

The first-generation Honda Ridgeline uses a foot-pedal parking brake that works small brake shoes inside a drum built into the hat of each rear rotor. When it will not hold on a hill, takes too many clicks, or drags after release, the cause is almost always shoe adjustment, a sticky cable, or worn or contaminated shoes, and Honda's service procedure lets you correct most of it without replacing anything.

This guide covers the Ridgeline sold from the 2006 through 2014 model years (some parts catalogs list it from 2005, when production began). It explains how the system is built, how to tell which part is at fault, and how the two-stage adjustment works.

How the Ridgeline Parking Brake Works

The Ridgeline has four-wheel disc brakes for everyday stopping, but the parking brake is a separate mechanical system. Each rear rotor is a drum-in-hat design: the center section of the rotor, the hat, is machined on the inside as a small brake drum, and a pair of parking brake shoes sits inside it on the backing plate. The rear pads and caliper never do the parking job.

The pedal pulls a front cable that runs to an equalizer bar near the driver's side door sill. From there, cables route rearward past the fuel tank and EVAP canister to each rear wheel, where they spread the shoes against the drum. Because the cable path runs under the truck and near the tank, it is exposed to road salt and water, which matters for diagnosis.

Honda's service data gives two checks for a healthy system: pressing the pedal with 66 lbs of force should fully apply the brake, and the pedal should lock within 10 to 12 clicks. If it takes noticeably more clicks than that, or locks in far fewer, the system needs attention.

The dash also watches the parking brake. The 2014 Ridgeline shows a "Parking brake on" message telling you to release it, and the instrument panel also carries a low brake fluid warning. A red brake warning that stays on after the pedal is fully released is not a parking brake adjustment issue; check the fluid level first.

Common Parking Brake Problems and Symptoms

Since the shoes only work when the truck is parked, they wear slowly. The more common failure on older Ridgelines is neglect: shoes that are rarely used can glaze or the cables can corrode in place. Owners in wet or salted climates see seized cables most often. Using the parking brake regularly helps keep the cables moving.

Driving with the parking brake partly applied does real damage. Honda's own manuals warn that it can damage the rear brakes and axles, and the heat can glaze the shoes and discolor the drum surface, which makes the parking brake weaker from then on.

How to Adjust the Parking Brake: Minor and Major

Honda splits the job into two stages. Start with the rear of the truck safely raised on jack stands and the transmission in Park with the front wheels blocked.

Minor adjustment at the pedal

For a change of one or two clicks, use the adjusting nut on the pedal assembly.

1. Release the pedal, then press it down one click.
2. Tighten the parking brake adjusting nut until the rear brakes drag slightly when you turn the rear wheels by hand.
3. Release the pedal fully and confirm neither rear wheel drags.
4. Recheck the click count against the 10 to 12 click target.

Major adjustment at the drum

If the pedal needs more than a click or two, the shoes themselves need to come closer to the drum. Do not try to make up a large gap with the pedal nut alone; that only stretches the cable travel and can leave the shoes unevenly applied.

1. Remove the rear wheel and find the access plug in the rotor hat.
2. Remove the plug and rotate the rotor until you can reach the adjuster.
3. Turn the ratchet teeth on the adjuster nut with a flat-tip screwdriver until the shoes lock against the drum.
4. Back the adjuster off 10 clicks.
5. Reinstall the access plug and repeat on the other side, then recheck the pedal.

If the rotor will not come off because the shoes have worn a lip into the drum, back the adjuster off through the access hole before pulling it. After any shoe or rotor work, the shoes should be burnished (bedded) per the service information so the lining seats against the drum surface.

When Adjustment Is Not Enough: Parts to Replace

Adjustment fixes most complaints, but it cannot fix a part that is worn out or stuck. Replace components when you find:

• Shoes: lining worn thin, cracked, glazed shiny, or soaked with grease or oil. Replace shoes as an axle set, both sides together, along with the springs and hold-down hardware if they are rusted or weak. See our brake shoes and brake hardware kits.
• Rear rotors: the drum inside the hat is part of the rotor. If the drum surface is scored, heat-cracked or worn oversize, or the outer braking face is below minimum thickness, a new brake rotor fixes both surfaces at once.
• Cables: a cable that will not slide freely in its housing, or that has frayed strands, should be replaced rather than lubricated back to life.
• Rear pads: because the rotors come off for parking brake work, it is the natural time to check the rear pads. If they are close to worn, the EBC Greenstuff rear brake pad set for the 2005-2014 Ridgeline fits this truck.

If you are doing a full brake service, the matching EBC Greenstuff 6000 front brake pad set covers the front axle. Honda also calls for replacing the brake fluid every 3 years regardless of maintenance messages, using Honda Heavy Duty Brake Fluid DOT 3 (DOT 3 or DOT 4 from a sealed container if the Honda fluid is not available; never DOT 5). A brake job is a good time to catch that interval.

How Hard Is the Job?

The minor pedal adjustment is a simple job for anyone with basic tools, since it only involves the adjusting nut and checking the rear wheels for drag. The major adjustment through the rotor access hole is also approachable once the wheels are off; the only trick is finding the adjuster teeth by feel.

Replacing shoes inside a drum-in-hat rotor is more involved. It means removing the rear caliper and bracket, pulling the rotor, and working with small springs and hold-down clips, and a spring tool makes it much easier. Photograph one side before you take it apart so you can use it as a reference. Torque the caliper bracket and wheel fasteners to the values in the factory service manual. Cable replacement is the hardest of the group because the cable routes near the fuel tank and EVAP canister.

Whatever you replace, finish with a road test and a hill test: the truck should hold on a grade within the click range, and neither rear wheel should be warm after a short drive with the pedal released.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many clicks should the Ridgeline parking brake take?

Honda's specification is that the pedal should lock within 10 to 12 clicks when pressed with 66 lbs of force. More clicks than that means the shoes or cable need adjustment.

Does the Ridgeline use the rear brake pads for the parking brake?

No. The 2006-2014 Ridgeline uses a drum-in-hat design, with separate parking brake shoes inside the center of each rear rotor. New rear pads will not fix a weak parking brake.

Can I adjust the parking brake without removing the rotors?

Yes. Small corrections are made with the nut on the pedal, and the shoes can be adjusted through an access plug in the rotor hat with the wheel removed. The rotor only has to come off to inspect or replace the shoes.

Why does my Ridgeline's rear wheel drag after I release the parking brake?

The usual causes are a cable that has corroded and will not return, shoes adjusted too tight, or a pedal adjusting nut that was over-tightened. Spin each rear wheel with the pedal released to find which side is dragging.

Is it bad to drive with the parking brake on?

Yes. Honda warns that driving with the parking brake applied can damage the rear brakes and axles, and the heat glazes the shoes so the brake holds less well afterward.

Sources

1. Brake and Front End: Brake Job, 2006-2014 Honda Ridgeline - drum-in-hat parking brake, cable routing, 66 lbs pedal force, 10 to 12 clicks, minor and major adjustment procedure
2. Honda: 2014 Ridgeline Technology Reference Guide - Parking brake on message, low brake fluid and brake system indicators
3. Honda Ridgeline Owner's Manual, Brake Fluid - Honda Heavy Duty Brake Fluid DOT 3, replace every 3 years, low fluid means inspect for leaks or worn pads
4. Honda Owner's Manual: Parking Brake - driving with the parking brake applied can damage the rear brakes and axles