Stopper won't disengage. Fiesta Year 2006

[Darrellll]

Hello everyone, I am having trouble getting the car to move when I release the hand brake lever. I think it's probably just one corner where the shoes are stuck because the car dips at the back in one corner when I try to start it. But it's stuck so firmly that the vehicle won't move. As a first step, could someone tell me what I can do to try to identify the problem's origin? My ability to attempt a self-repair depends on the nature of the problem. Despite the fact that it may be difficult to remove the drum...It would be great if there was a way to release the hand brake first, so I could take it the half-mile distance to the garage to get it fixed right. I am grateful.

[Howard_silver]

If you are able to remove the wheel, try tapping the drum lightly with a hammer or mallet; this may cause it to release. When they're picking up long-standing cars on Bangers and Cash, they do that. Please inform us of your progress 👍.

[ianwh4]

Indeed, a prevalent issue, as mentioned earlier. If you want to access the adjuster wheel and set it to free, you can remove a grommet from the backplate of some of them. As far as I can recall, the Fiesta Mk7 does not have this feature, and I would assume that earlier models did not either.

Turn off the handbrake adjuster and check that the cable isn't getting tangled up when you press down on the lever. Then, as mentioned earlier, hit the drum with a large, soft-faced hammer—or, if you're okay with that, a regular hammer—but preferably a heavy one. Turning on the wheel might get you there, but it's highly unlikely. At the very least, you can attempt driving in reverse and forwards to see if you can reach it while the wheel is on.

Hopefully, you can remove the drum if that doesn't work. If your handbrake becomes stuck, you can unfasten it by removing one or two small torx screws; otherwise, you'll have to prop a bar under the studs to prevent the drum from turning! If they're corroded, you can drill off the heads. After that, you can try to remove the drum by screwing a suitable bolt into the threaded hole that Ford should have provided. If you can, spray penetrating fluid into the space between the drum and the backplate lip, and give the sides a more liberal whack; this will also aid the process.

A friend of mine once drove the short distance to the garage while the rear wheel was locked and dragged behind him—not a good idea!

[SkippyTom]

If there's enough room, you can try driving backward, but it might yank it loose occasionally. it may be helpful to hit the drum a few times on its face (the flat side where the hub is) with a hammer, as mentioned by others. In most cases, the culprit is a leaky wheel cylinder that lets water in and causes the wheels to become stuck. Additionally, if the vehicle has alloy wheels, washing it might be all that's needed to slightly adhere them. information discovered on our BRAND NEW Escort GTi. At the time, I was employed at the supplying dealership. When it was out of warranty, I decided to do my own inspection (since my boss never assigned me the task). I applied a thin layer of copperslip to the backing plates where the shoes touched, moved the handbrake lever forward on the shoe, and coated it with copperslip. From then on, the fault never reappeared. For a while, I was the only customer at that dealership who had a solution to this problem, and it eventually spread to cars with alloy wheels (presumably because water could more easily enter the drums through the larger holes in alloys). should be kept in mind when driving with alloy wheels

[Darrellll]

This is really helpful information for me, so thank you very much. The wheels were cleaned with a jet washer two days prior to my attempt to drive the car, but I was unable to do so because the handbrake was stuck! Since it happened the other day, I haven't attempted to move the car. Tomorrow, I plan to take a hammer to it and gently drive it backward and forwards to see if that helps. Nonetheless, this must be deliberate. The inside of the drum must have become rusted from water intrusion. Everything you've done to assist me is greatly appreciated. After I examine the vehicle, I will provide an update to everyone on this thread.

[SkippyTom]

No one I worked with believed it would make a difference when the brakes weren't leaking and were functioning normally; it's possible the Fiesta has the same problem as the Escort. Driving on a rainy day and then leaving the car parked for a day or two would eventually ruin our GTi. So, I made my "mod" a regular part of servicing the brakes on all of my work vehicles, and the number of vehicles experiencing issues gradually decreased. The boss began to believe it a bit more after seeing that the cured cars were all ones I had performed my "mod" on; as a result, it became routine for all of our non-menu serviced vehicles.

[ianwh4]

What annoys me is that this is the same type of information that is commonly found in car repair manuals and similar resources, but it isn't implemented when the car is being built!

When I purchased my 2016 Mondeo, it had 3,000 miles on the odometer and was six months old. Three months later, I had to take it in for a warranty claim (which Ford first tried to avoid, but the dealers were on my side). The reason was that the rear discs were completely damaged due to the pads seizing, which occurred because Ford neglected to apply brake lubricant to any of the contact points during assembly. Very well done.