I have a 1998 VW GTI VR6 that I recently purchased with 100k miles on it. Seattle has had a bit of a cold streak lately and sometimes when it’s really cold over night, my parking brake seems to be stuck. The brake works fine when it’s not below freezing in the morning though.
What is the problem and how can I fix it?
It’s just freezing. There’s water in the brake system when you shut the car off and you set the parking brake. It got cold and froze into place. The solution is don’t use it when it’s going to freeze. Leave the car in gear or in Park.
Cold weather has adverse affects on many components in your car. If there’s water anywhere it’ll freeze. The cold weather also dries things out. It turns grease into a sludge.
Most likely cause is the cable. Dirt or water might have gotten in there and when it gets below 32 it freezes. Metal also contracts when cold so if there’s any breach in the cable and dirt/water got in there…when it gets cold the metal will contract thus making the cable stick. Another possible problem is the caliper…also the springs that pull on the cable when released.