NC Safety Inspection - The Parking Brake

Dawnpatrol

Jesse Higgins
Joined
Apr 25, 2016
Location
Raleigh
So my YJ failed the safety inspection for a few BS reasons (some my fault). One of the things that failed was the parking brake.

The parking brake holds when the engine is off and the trans is out of gear (on flat testing ground). The inspector says that his criteria is that the vehicle has to be running and in gear (Manual Trans). He lets off the clutch slowly and says the vehicle started moving forward. Therefore he failed it.

From Google:
Section 19A NCAC 03D .0532 of the NC Vehicle Inspection Guide states the following:
Handbrakes (auxiliary, parking or holding) shall not be approved if:
(a) There is no lever reserve when the brake is fully applied.
(b) Cables are visibly frayed or frozen, or there are missing or defective cotter pins or broken or missing retracting springs or worn rods or couplings.
(c) The operating mechanism, when fully applied, fails to hold the brakes in the applied position without manual effort.
(d) When emergency or handbrakes are applied they fail to hold vehicle.

SO, has anyone successfully argued that the vehicle doesn't have to be running for the parking brake to pass inspection?
 
Dawnpatrol said:
(d) When emergency or handbrakes are applied they fail to hold vehicle
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It is not stated right there whether the engine is running or not. When I took the course, we were told it should hold an automatic in drive at idle (same as easing up the clutch on a manual.)

It's pretty much left to the discretion of the inspector. I don't think mine have been checked ever.. so it's all in where you go.

Also one could argue there are some steep hills and that if the brake won't hold at idle then it'll slip on a steep hill..
 
Papa_Jon said:
Basic rule is has to hold against its own weight , sounds like inspector was either paid by job (i.e ) sale you to fix issues or he was mad at you tho
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just crawled one other day for 20 mins to find a reason to fail lady , she was bitch from hell . she failed for 5 things.. 2 people to never piss off someone cooking your food or someone inspecting you car lol
 
Many years ago I had a Bronco that was failed for the exact same thing. Dude set the Ebrake, put it in drive, and it rolled. I took it somewhere else and they passed it.
 
Papa_Jon said:
just crawled one other day for 20 mins to find a reason to fail lady , she was bitch from hell . she failed for 5 things.. 2 people to never piss off someone cooking your food or someone inspecting you car lol
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I didn't try and argue with the inspector. Some of the failed issues were my fault (one of the headlights was unplugged, and I drove there without doors and forgot to put the drivers side mirror on). Just playing devils advocate on here.

So it sounds like I need to adjust the parking brake until it stalls the engine. Means I'll likely adjust it in the parking lot next to the station to where the brake is dragging when I drive it over.

drkelly said:
Many years ago I had a Bronco that was failed for the exact same thing. Dude set the Ebrake, put it in drive, and it rolled. I took it somewhere else and they passed it.
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Don't you have to get it re-inspected at the same station that failed you?
 
Dawnpatrol said:
Don't you have to get it re-inspected at the same station that failed you?
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NO the dealer failed my wifes car and charged me full price on the inspection for tint that was put on the the month before. Took it to another placed it passed with a tint meter. After talking to the dealer he refunded the inspection fee and the oil change cost too.
 
Dawnpatrol said:
I didn't try and argue with the inspector. Some of the failed issues were my fault (one of the headlights was unplugged, and I drove there without doors and forgot to put the drivers side mirror on). Just playing devils advocate on here.

So it sounds like I need to adjust the parking brake until it stalls the engine. Means I'll likely adjust it in the parking lot next to the station to where the brake is dragging when I drive it over.



Don't you have to get it re-inspected at the same station that failed you?
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no but you will pay full price at another station, safety failed shoould been 12.75 , when you go back should be .85
 
Ok so back to the original question (devils advocate):

If the criteria is that a parking brake has to hold the vehicles "weight", then the drivetrain power/gearing should not not be a factor in the pass/fail criteria.

If a vehicle has low gearing and a granny gear trans, then it would take a more powerful parking brake than what is actually needed to hold the vehicle on a hill in park. Park defined as in neutral with the engine off, if you are in gear with the engine running the intensions are that you are driving not parking).

So does the DOT not define a procedure or better acceptance criteria anywhere for the inspectors other than "(d) When emergency or handbrakes are applied they fail to hold vehicle."
 
Sounds like a good reason to hire an attorney and challenge this guy. Or go to another shop. I've never had a parking brake checked.
 
Personally I’ve never had the parking brake checked. I’d say that since you had multiple simple things fail that’s why he hit you with the parking brake also. Check all obvious things that they check before rolling in to have an inspection done ie.......lights, horn, CIL, tire treads.
 
But why not just fix it? Why would you not want your parking brake to work well?
 
jeepinmatt said:
But why not just fix it? Why would you not want your parking brake to work well?
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I'm going to adjust it better and fix the other minor things. The point of this was to discuss how does one define an excepable parking brake and curious if the way I was judged is the same with other stations.

I think someone just peed in his Cheerios this morning for some of the things he noted.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
 
1) adjust the tensions so there is zero slack in the cables

2) pop the rubber plug out of the drum backing plate and adjust the screw that sets the parking brake pad

3) take it to a mom and pop shop

I feel your pain. Part of the reason I put antique tags on my xj in VA was parking brakes. Tiny disc brake hat pads had no chance against 37s and low gearing.

Good luck!


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The place we take all our shit failed Cyd's Jeep last year for the parking brake. It's usually the first thing they check. It had gotten loose and wasn't doing shit. He told me if it would hold the vehicle and provide some resistance in gear, it would pass. I adjusted the shoes and took it back the next day.
 
braxton357 said:
Sounds like a good reason to hire an attorney and challenge this guy.
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I was thinking more of a jeepinmatt solution with a well placed match
 
I left my pedal, cables & all, in, just in case anyone looked. But the places I have used [generally I knew the guy & he knew me] have Never checked mine. Even when the D44 was installed, new shoes & all new hardware installed, My park brake wouldn't hold on level ground, if you leaned on it! Never has, never will!
 
The Haymount Exxon fails mine several yrs ago
E brake
And no side mirrors/ even though the doors were off and in the back behind the rear seat...
 
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