Parking Brake Problems and Recalls: Which Cars Are Affected

A parking brake that fails to hold lets a parked car roll away, and one that applies by itself can lock a wheel on the move, and NHTSA’s recall file holds hundreds of recalls for both. Most pages on the subject are repair how-tos for electric parking brake faults. This guide uses NHTSA’s recall and complaint files to show which vehicles have been recalled, what failed, and how many are still unrepaired.

Parking brake recalls: the big picture

Within these, 69 describe a brake that may not apply, hold or engage, 55 describe one that may apply, drag or activate unexpectedly, and 8 name corrosion (a recall can fall in more than one group). Here is who they belong to, for 2014 onward:

“Repaired” weights each campaign’s reported completion rate by its vehicle count; “not yet repaired” is the matching estimate. A vehicle in several campaigns is counted in each. Source: NHTSA recalls file and US DOT completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026; computed by PlainVIN.

Ford has the most vehicles, GM the most campaigns. The lowest repair rates are Utility Trailer’s (32%) and Mitsubishi’s (58%), and the numbers behind Mazda’s 73% still leave an estimated 61,669 vehicles unrepaired.

The largest parking brake recalls

Source: NHTSA recalls file and US DOT completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026; table compiled by PlainVIN from each campaign’s record.

Electric parking brakes: software, wiring and gears

An electric parking brake replaces the lever with a switch, a control module and motors at the rear calipers, so the recalls look like electrical recalls:

• Software. Honda’s 2016 Civic recall says the brake may not engage if applied immediately after the ignition is turned off, which could let the car roll away; dealers updated the software so it engages right after key off. Toyota’s 2018 C-HR recall says the brake may not operate properly, so it may not release after being applied or may not apply, and the cars fail Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 135. The repair was reprogramming the skid control computer.
• Wiring. Ford’s F-150 recall (23V509) says contact with the rear axle housing may damage the wiring harness so that the electric parking brake activates unexpectedly, and NHTSA’s listed consequence is that activation while driving increases the risk of a crash. Dealers add a protective tie strap and tape wrap and replace the harness as necessary. In January 2026 GM recalled 20 Chevrolet Blazer EVs that may have been repaired incorrectly under an earlier recall (25V433, 26V031), because the rear harness may become damaged or corroded.
• Dragging. GM’s 2014 recall for the Cadillac XTS and Chevrolet Impala says the actuation arm may not fully retract so the pads stay partly engaged, which may cause enough brake heat to start a fire. The fix was a software update, reported 97% complete. See also our park-outside recall list.
• Gears. Tesla’s 2017 recall says an internal gear in the caliper may be improperly manufactured and fracture, so the brake may not release, or may not hold the vehicle if it breaks while applying.

Vehicle descriptions are NHTSA’s own summary wording; “repaired” is the share the manufacturer reports as fixed, and new campaigns start near zero. Source: NHTSA recalls file and US DOT completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026.

Corroded actuators in the rear calipers

Two near-identical recalls describe water getting into the rear brake caliper and corroding the parking brake actuator shaft so it binds. Mazda’s covers the 2014–2015 Mazda6 and 2014–2016 Mazda3 (17V393) and Mitsubishi’s covers the 2014–2016 Outlander and 2013–2016 Outlander Sport (18V070). Both say the brake may not engage or disengage fully, and that a car parked on a slope may move unexpectedly. Mazda’s dealers check the actuator shafts and replace corroded ones; Mitsubishi’s inspect the rear calipers and replace the boot and lever or the caliper body as necessary. Repair rates are 73% and 58%, so owners of these model years are the most likely to still have an open recall.

Mechanical brakes and warning lights

Older recalls are about the lever and cable. Ford’s 1994 recall says the self-adjust pawl may not line up with the ratchet and may slip over teeth, so the brake will not hold the vehicle and the vehicle may roll freely if the transmission is not left in gear; Mazda filed the same recall for 48,609 vehicles. Ford’s 2000 recall describes the same pawl skipping teeth in manual-transmission cars, and the remedy was a plate that locks the adjuster in position. A related fault is the warning light: Hyundai’s 2017 recall says corrosion in the switch may stop the parking brake light from illuminating, so a driver may drive with the brake partly engaged, and dealers replace the switch.

“If the parking brake actuator shaft binds, the parking brake may not engage or disengage fully.”NHTSA recall record 17V393, Mazda3 and Mazda6, nhtsa.gov

Trucks and buses, 2025 to 2026

Most of the parking brake recalls filed since mid-2025 cover commercial vehicles, which use spring-applied air brakes. International’s 2025 recall for 2024–2026 IC Bus school buses (25V646, 11,952 vehicles) says a tire may contact the air dryer discharge line and cause an air leak and the parking brake to apply unintentionally. International’s 25V522 says a tension spring may corrode and break, disengaging the parking brake, and Blue Bird’s 25V635 says brake interlock software may engage the parking brake at any driving speed. Volvo’s February 2026 recall (26V076, 800 trucks) covers 2024–2027 VNL trucks that may have inadequate parking brake force in weight bias mode, with 22% reported repaired. NHTSA’s file shows only three parking brake recalls filed in 2026 so far, covering 825 vehicles in all.

Vehicle descriptions are NHTSA’s own summary wording; “repaired” is the share the manufacturer reports as fixed, and new campaigns start near zero. Source: NHTSA recalls file and US DOT completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026.

Parking brake complaints: which cars and years

Source: NHTSA owner complaints file, retrieved Oct 6, 2026; computed by PlainVIN.

The “parking brake” category does not say which part failed, and counts follow sales. The complaints are concentrated in older trucks and SUVs, mainly 1994–2005 Chevrolet Silverado, Tahoe, Suburban and Avalanche, Jeep Wrangler and Ford Ranger and Mustang model years, which pre-date the electric brakes behind the recalls above, so the complaint list and the recall list describe different eras. Use the share column to compare model years, and check each year against the recalls above: a year with many complaints and no recall is worth testing before you buy by setting the brake on a slope with the car in neutral.

What to do if your parking brake fails

1. Don’t rely on it. Use Park or leave a manual car in gear, as the recall records note for rollaway risks.
2. If it applies by itself while driving, slow down gradually and pull over when it is safe.
3. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with our VIN decoder. Repairs are free.
4. A warning light or message that stays on, or a brake that will not release, is worth an inspection before the next trip.
5. Report it, even if it is fixed: see our guide to filing a complaint.

For the main brakes see our brake problems guide, for cars that move in Park our transmission problems guide and for the electrical side our electrical problems guide. The wider picture is in our most common car problems guide.

Complaint and recall figures are PlainVIN’s analysis of NHTSA’s files and update when we refresh the data; complaints are owner reports, not verified defects. “Reported repaired” is the automaker’s figure. This guide is general information, not mechanical advice for a specific vehicle.