Not sure what kind of rear brake setup is on the rear of your Escape.If they are disc brakes,some have an integrated drum for the emergency brake shoes.May just need cable adjustment.
KaGee those are drum brakes so it going to require visual inspection. How does the pedal feel,,,,Low or high and tight with very little travel when pressed. Check self adjusters, e-brake cables, and e-brake lever connection to shoes (inside the drum).
I am just guessing but, most drum brakes adjust only when you stop hard in REVERSE. If you have to pull the drums why not relace the shoes with high qaulity shoes (regardless of the condition of the old ones) considering you tow with it. Your going to have to pull the drums anyway and the shoes are cheap.
I read somewhere in the stuff I have that the adjusters are different on this one. The going in reverse is what I am used to. Went out to a parking lot, threw it in reverse and backed braked hard just for the halibut about a dozen times. I think the gawkers thought I was crazy. But, still no difference. Must be a hardware problem on one side or the other. The shoes were new last fall.
FYI, the rear brakes adust via useage of the parking brake. Something new I guess.
I had two problems, the adjuster on one side was stuck and I had a bad parking brake cable. All other hardware is OK. New cable going in this morning, brother what a pain that is!
