How to Make Parking Brake Adjustments in a Ford Focus

Adjust the parking brake when your car starts to slip when you park it on a slope. Use these directions for your 2004 to 2008 Ford Focus.

Remove the center console cover around the parking brake lever. Locate this between the driver's seat and the front passenger seat. Put the parking brake lever to the lowest position towards the floor.

Loosen the parking brake cable adjuster nut with your wrench or pliers. Locate the adjuster nut on the parking brake cable rod stick behind the parking brake lever. Press and release the brake pedal, not the parking brake lever, to ensure the rear brakes adjust correctly.

Get underneath the Ford Focus and follow the parking brake cables from the rear wheels to the center of the vehicle. Make sure there are no cuts or problems and that the cables are in their proper position.

Raise your Ford Focus rear wheels in the air using the jack and support the rear wheels using the jack stands. Pull up on the parking brake lever to four notches. Tighten the adjuster nut on the inside of the vehicle to increase resistance when pulling up on the parking brake lever. Release the parking brake lever to the floor.

Pull up on the parking brake lever and release it three or four times to adjust the parking brake lever system. Release the parking brake lever to the floor.

Check the movement of the caliper parking brake lever by getting underneath the vehicle and looking at the right and left rear inside wheel well. Make sure that for drum brakes the calipers do not move more than 1mm to 8mm. Make sure that for rear disc brakes that the calipers do not move more than 0.5mm to 2mm.

Rotate the rear wheels to make sure they rotate freely. Put the parking adjustment nut retaining clip on to hold the adjuster nut in place. Put the center console cover back on, lower your Ford Focus using the jack and remove the jack stands.