E-brake pads delaminated from shoes and jammed up completely tearing up the guts - even destroyed the aluminum hub assy and backing plate along with the brake cable.

No wear on the pads - only used a few times. Other side was not totally destroyed, but pads were also loose and flopping around inside the brake drum.

Now the good news - although it is clearly either inferior materials or a manufacturing flaw, Volvo refuses to warranty the parts or work. So much for safety related warranty items - cost - over $1500 to replace the parts including the hub assy. Required alignment is extra!

And to top it all off, Volvo VIP refused to tow the car less than 15 miles to my house - would only take me to a dealer 70 miles away (and I could not be gone from the area that long, so I had to call a local tow company and pay the $80 to get home).

After being a loyal Volvo customer for 40 years, I suspect that this will be my last Volvo - safety is no longer important to Volvo (this is the 3rd safety related problem on my car that Volvo has denied any responsibility for), they don'ty stand behind their products, and they are becoming unreliable. Though it is fun to drive, the cost is getting too high - and there are other fun cars.

I think my picks now are Toyota, BMW, and Audi - or whoever comes up with an all electric drive plug in hybrid.

I always use my emergency brake when parking. Are you not supposed to use it ever?

Just the iMIV for now.

Quote, originally posted by petew »

NEVER USE THE VOLVO EMERGENCY BRAKE !!!!!!!!!!

It's not an "emergency brake" it is a "parking brake". How the hell am I supposed to park my R with a manual tranny on a hill with the engine running otherwise?

Quote, originally posted by petew »

NEVER USE THE VOLVO EMERGENCY BRAKE !!!!!!!!!! this is so common in Volvos the dealers don't even blink before they blame you -- you start to describe what happened and they instantly know what it is -- they keep the parts in stock because it's such a high-profit repair. "Of course the emergency brake broke -- it's not ever to be used -- it's only for AN EMERGENCY !!!! I too had my "emergency brake" explode (and I never used it!) on my '98 VR (same design as the 855) -- but I fixed it myself -- removed the brakes entirely -- it's a much safer car without "emergency " brakes.

I only use mine when the message on the DIM reads "Brake Failure, stop safely". Isn't this what the e-brake is for? Stopping in an emergency?

When a founder of VCOA says he's not going to back to Volvo because of bad service, that's a bad thing.

My driveway is on about an 8% slope and I have to use the e-brake to park, and I don't like it one bit. Time to clean out the garage to get the car inside.

Coming soon: PhMIC

I live in San francisco practcially, theres no way in hell that I cannot use this Parking/E-brake.

Coming soon: PhMIC

Like you, I have been a long time Volvo owner, but they are driving me away from their products.

ebrake you say.

"on the road today i saw a deadhead sticker on a VOLVO" Don Henley- kind of.

***And personally, I could care less if you belong to the Pittsburgh VCOA chapter or none at all.==nice trish

So how many will admit to something like this happening?

Not as bad...but a definate *oh sh*t* moment.

does PA have vehicle inspection?? In Texas you wouldnt pass without an e-brake.

PA does, not sure about how much effect the e-brake has on getting a passing grade. Especially if you "know a guy" with a garage/inspection station.

I seriously hate the hand brake on these cars. Several times I have tried to use it and I hate having to fully pull it up to get it engaged. Not too long ago I was getting fuel, pulled it up (but apparently not enough), and went to the pump. Thank god my girlfriend was in the car cause when I turned around my car was about two feet farther than it was. i yelled for her to pull it up more, she did, then looked at me like "wtf was that?!". It was one of the few times I didn't put it in gear before turning off the car.

Seriously though, shouldn't the hand brake just WORK on a car?

If your brake isn't engaging until high in the pull, the cable or the brake itself needs to be adjusted.

Coming soon: PhMIC

'98 V70R "breast feed baby poop color"/Charcoal - SOLD?! - What the heck do I drive now?!?

SSR GT-10's, 18"x8" ET38 (for sale)

Agree and agree to the three posts avove this.
The Ebrake in a Volvo doesn't work very well even when adjusted and you MUST have it adjusted perfectly for it to work at all.
One of my 2000's locked up in my driveway a couple of months ago,
THE E BRAKE WASN'T EVEN ON!!!!
The damn thing rusted and broke inside (shoes) and out, (rusted cables) and froze.
Bottom line was I was able to break it free and get it to Keystone Volvo, a few hundred dollars later with EVERYTHING replaced I was on my way again
On every Gen 1 car that's seen any salt, this will happen, I thought they made them a bit better on the P2's... guess not

So is there any way to prevent this from happening? Jim, it sounds as if, had you used yours, you might have worn away some of the rust and prevented it from happening? Just a thought...

Also, is there one culprit to blame? The compound of the shoe maybe? I wouldn't think it's the rotor rusting, but I could be wrong. Do folks w/ aftermarket two-piece rotors have issues (besides the extra wear on the aluminum hats)?

'98 V70R "breast feed baby poop color"/Charcoal - SOLD?! - What the heck do I drive now?!?

SSR GT-10's, 18"x8" ET38 (for sale)

I suppose that it is like when a guy (me) who's founded several clubs and written books starts to talk about what he believes is a reliability problem affecting several models.

At any rate...

Delaminating emergency brake linings is common in many cars, especially those with manual transmissions, that are routinely driven in wet climates.

Two things can cause e-brake lining separation:

1. E-brakes overnight applied in a wet environment. Common use in cars with standard transmissions. The brake pads (which are based on metallic compounds) react with the disk's integrated drum and a corrosion bond is formed. Releasing the brakes forces the pads away from the drum. Over time, the adhesives that bond the e-brake pads to the shoes breaks down eventually leading to a catastrophic failure.

2. E-brakes used (though not necessarily applied) in a salty environment. Corrosion forms between the e-brake shoes and the linings. This eventually undermines the adhesive bond between the two components. to the point where a catastrophic failure occurs.

Note: The pins and springs that keep the e-brake shoes in place also corrode.

So what's the fix?

First, it's important to note that e-brake shoes have a service life. This means that e-brake shoes and associated hardware (pins and springs) must be periodically replaced -- even if they are only used to immobilize the car when it is parked.

A good rule of thumb is to replace the e-brake shoes and hardware whenever the rear pads or rotors are replaced -- whatever comes first. In other words, about every 2-4 years.

It's a good idea to regularly actuate the e-brake when the car is at rest. It confirms the system is functional and, in the case of mechanically actuated brakes, keeps the Bowden cables from seizing.

You're probably wondering how I know this -- it's from 1st hand experience and failure analysis many years ago...

I know Steve. He's an extremely knowledgeable Volvo owner and has an incredible amount of mechanical experience. So he's probably aware of what I have described above.

It would, therefore, be very helpful to know if his failure occurred with the car's original brake shoes or a (2nd or 3rd) replacement set. If it is the latter, there may be a "batch" problem to consider.

FWIW...

Get the inside track at: http://forums.swedespeed.com/z...59114

Nope. Mine locks up after a day or two of sitting.

I am honestly thinking of having a whole new mechanism installed. At 76k miles, and regular user of the brake (I really do need it), I do not want this to happen to me.

Thoughts? Reading Paul's analysis leads me to believe that I should. I am on my third set of pads (second set was replaced with the brake squeal TNN, not due to wear) in the rear.

Coming soon: PhMIC

Quote, originally posted by JRL »

Blame the design, the materials and the salt. I ALWAYS pull on the e brake a few times as I pull out in the morning. Somestimes it's fine and I hear nothing, sometimes I get some pretty bad clunks and noises which usually go away after a few pulls (break off any rust build up) and you pull while you're driving, not standing still! This cleans off any rust build up. You should be able to drive at 50-80 mph, pull on the e brake (medium pull, don't jerk it at those speeds) and nothing shold happen except a mild slow down. If it makes ANY noise or clunk, you're in trouble. NEVER use the e brake right after washing the car, not until the hubs and rotors are dry. Try never to use an ebrake on the very cold and snowy days

I never "use" my parking brake after a car wash or driving in heavy rain, but I do pull the brake on while driving right after a car wash to help rub water off the brake surfaces. Seems to work very well.

Also agree strongly with if you use it, use it every day! My family has had 5 P2 Volvos now and we ALL use the parking brakes religiously, nobody has ever had any problems with it. A few times we've had them "stick" if you forget you washed the car and you use the parking brake afterwards, but otherwise zero troubles.

And yes, I call it a parking brake because both of my S60s were manual, and I NEED to use it to park with the engine running.

And the first time that you NEED an emergency brake, the Bowden cables will be rust-seized and won't work.

Just do periodic maintenance.

Get the inside track at: http://forums.swedespeed.com/z...59114

My parking brake sticks on if was left overnight in the rain, and the weight of the car isn't enough to break it free. I tried pulling it up once going about 5mph, and it immediately locked up a rear wheel.

Perhaps I'll schedule a trip to the dealer, I'm nervous now.

Actually, since you've always used it, KEEP using it, just change out the parking brake parts whenever you need to change rear rotors, won't cost much additional in labor that way.

A parking brake cable is only going to rust in place if it never moves. Move it every day!