Chevrolet Cobalt Parking brake won't engage Inspection at your home or office.

Our certified mobile mechanics come to you 7 days a week between 7 AM and 9 PM.

Estimate price near me

Service Location

Customer Ratings

(454)

How A Diagnostic Works

Instantly book a certified mobile mechanic to come to you

Mechanic diagnoses the problem and quotes necessary repairs

Your vehicle is ready to go

Fair, upfront & transparent pricing for all services

Our certified mobile mechanics can come to you now.

Customer Ratings

(454)

Parking brake won't engage Inspection Service

How much does a Parking brake won't engage Inspection cost?

On average, the cost for a Chevrolet Cobalt Parking brake won't engage Inspection is $95 with $0 for parts and $95 for labor. Prices may vary depending on your location.

CarServiceEstimateShop/Dealer Price
2007 Chevrolet CobaltL4-2.0L TurboService typeParking brake won't engage InspectionEstimate$114.99Shop/Dealer Price$124.99 - $132.49
2008 Chevrolet CobaltL4-2.0L TurboService typeParking brake won't engage InspectionEstimate$94.99Shop/Dealer Price$105.01 - $112.52
2005 Chevrolet CobaltL4-2.0L TurboService typeParking brake won't engage InspectionEstimate$94.99Shop/Dealer Price$105.01 - $112.52
2006 Chevrolet CobaltL4-2.0L TurboService typeParking brake won't engage InspectionEstimate$94.99Shop/Dealer Price$104.99 - $112.48
2007 Chevrolet CobaltL4-2.2LService typeParking brake won't engage InspectionEstimate$94.99Shop/Dealer Price$105.02 - $112.55
2007 Chevrolet CobaltL4-2.4LService typeParking brake won't engage InspectionEstimate$94.99Shop/Dealer Price$105.01 - $112.52
2006 Chevrolet CobaltL4-2.4LService typeParking brake won't engage InspectionEstimate$99.99Shop/Dealer Price$109.87 - $117.28
2009 Chevrolet CobaltL4-2.2LService typeParking brake won't engage InspectionEstimate$99.99Shop/Dealer Price$110.24 - $117.94
Show example Chevrolet Cobalt Parking brake won't engage Inspection prices

Engaging your parking brake ensures that your car doesn’t roll when you park on a hill. This is important in a wide variety of situations, whether you’re parking at home and your driveway is angled, or you’re backing down a boat ramp to unload in the lake. If your parking brake won’t engage, then you’re relying solely on the transmission’s park setting to hold the vehicle in place, which is never a good thing. It could slip, and it could also cause damage to the transmission.

How this system works:

Most parking brakes are relatively simple affairs – really nothing more than a cable that attaches to the handle that sits between your front seats (or the parking brake pedal under the dash in some cars). Pulling the handle pulls the cable, which engages the parking brake assembly and pushes a pair of brake shoes into contact with the inside of the drum.

However, despite that simplicity, there are several things that could go wrong with your parking brake. The most common issue is simply that you need to adjust your brake shoes. However, there could be a problem with the cable (corrosion or wear, for instance), or there could be a problem with the handle itself, although this is rare.

Common reasons for this to happen:

  • Need to Adjust Brake Shoes: The single most common reason your parking brake won’t engage is a need to adjust the brake shoes. This requires removing the rear wheels, removing the drum, and then adjusting the wheel to spread the shoes apart. Both sides should be adjusted.

  • Cable Is Detached: Another potential reason here is that the cable may have come loose from one or both sides. The cable must attach to both rear brakes for your parking brake to work (if it attaches to just one side, the brake will engage but feel loose, and the car will roll on a hill).

  • Cable Is Loose at the Handle: A much less common problem is that the nut where the cable attaches under the handle is loose. If this happens, there will be slack in the cable, and pulling the handle will not engage the parking brake. This is most common after inexpert parking brake repairs.

  • Rusted Bell Crank: The bell crank is really nothing more than a lever that sits near the front of the parking brake assembly. These are prone to rusting, particularly if you don’t use your parking brake very often. If this is the case, your parking brake will not engage.

What to expect:

One of our experienced mobile mechanics will come to your home or office and inspect the entire parking brake system, from the handle to the bell crank, the cabling and the attachment points at the rear. The mechanic will also provide you with a full report that details the scope and cost of any necessary parts and repairs.

How it's done:

The mechanic will inspect all aspects of your parking brake, beginning with the handle or pedal in the cabin. The mechanic will also inspect the cables, the shoe condition and adjustment and other aspects of your parking brake system. It may be necessary to remove one or both rear wheels, as well as the brake drums (if your car has drum brakes). If your car has disc brakes, the caliper and rotor may need to be removed to inspect the parking brake shoes, which are located inside the built-in drum on the rotor itself.

How important is this service?

If your parking brake will not engage, it will not prevent you from driving, but it does make parking on an incline risky. It’s possible that the transmission will slip out of park, and the vehicle will roll down the slope. One of our mechanics can fully assess your parking brake and advise you on what is needed to repair it.

Fast and easy service at your home or office

Backed by 12-month, 12.000-mile guarantee


Meet some of our expert Chevrolet mechanics

Real customer reviews from Chevrolet owners like you.

Excellent Rating

(454)

Rating Summary
431
17
1
1
4
431
17
1
1
4

Kyle

12 years of experience
94 reviews
Kyle
12 years of experience
Chevrolet Cobalt L4-2.2L - Parking brake won't engage Inspection - Henderson, Nevada
Diagnosed the problem within 10 minutes.

Peter

43 years of experience
1321 reviews
Peter
43 years of experience
Chevrolet Cobalt L4-2.2L - Turn Signal Bulb Replacement (Rear) - Glendale, Arizona
Absolutely amazing all around. If you need the best, then look no further then Peter for your mechanic needs.

Joe

15 years of experience
453 reviews
Joe
15 years of experience
Chevrolet Cobalt L4-2.2L - Car is not starting - La Vergne, Tennessee
He figured it out and fixed it so awesome

Kerry

31 years of experience
27 reviews
Kerry
31 years of experience
Chevrolet Cobalt L4-2.2L - Tie Rod End Replacement (Front Left Outer, Front Right Outer) - Atlanta, Georgia
He was great with communication, and did a thorough job! Also let me know what I needed to do moving forward

Excellent Rating

(454)

Rating Summary
431
17
1
1
4
431
17
1
1
4
Number of Chevrolet Cobalt services completed
4994+
services done by our mechanics
TOTAL NUMBER OF EXPERT Chevrolet MECHANICS
1600+
experts on our platform

Recent articles & questions

P2631 OBD-II Trouble Code: O2 Sensor Pumping Current Trim Circuit High Bank 2 Sensor 1
What What the P2631 code means? P2631 is an OBD-II generic code for the engine control module (ECM) detecting an open or short circuit in the Air Fuel Radio (A/F) or O2 sensor, causing a high voltage at the signal...
Why You Should Always Check For Recalls on Your Car
Actor Actor Anton Yelchin was killed early (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/21/business/jeep-that-crushed-anton-yelchin-had-been-recalled.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share) in the morning on June 19, 2016 at his Studio City, California home. He was 27. Yelchin, who starred in movies such as Star Trek, was killed when his Jeep Grand Cherokee...
OBD-II Trouble Code P0650: Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) Control Circuit Malfunction
P0650 means there is a computer output circuit issue, likely due to a defective electrical circuit or bulb.

Oil leak upon starting cold engine.

You should have the oil filter removed to see if it was double gasket-ed when the oil change was done. This means the old filter gasket did not come off and when new filter was put on it did not...

Service stabilizer and traction control warning is on.

Your car is equipped with wheel speed sensors (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/wheel-speed-sensor-replacement) at each of the four wheels which monitor wheel speed while relaying this information constantly to the ABS and traction control system which are controlled by the car's ECU. When the...

My 2006 Infiniti m35 has been having hesitation/sputtering while at a complete stop but no check engine light. What's causing this

It is possible that some trouble codes have been stored in your system even though the check engine light has not come on. I would recommend treating this issue the same as you would if a check engine light was...

How can we help?

Our service team is available 7 days a week, Monday - Friday from 6 AM to 5 PM PST, Saturday - Sunday 7 AM - 4 PM PST.

1 (844) 997-3624 · hi@yourmechanic.com