2004 Chevy Aveo right rear wheel locks up in reverse

[RustyChevy]

My sister in law has a 2004 Chevy Aveo. The right rear wheel locked up on it so I took a look at it. It turns freely moving the car forward, but when put in reverse it locks up and will not turn. I'm thinking either a bearing went bad or one of the shoes has come loose and is putting it in a bind not allowing it to turn in reverse. Also the brake pedal is very stiff and hard to push. Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

[gmtech1]

Start by pulling the drum and inspecting the brakes.

[GMCustomerService]

If you decide to work with a dealership towards resolving this, please let me know in a private message with more information so that I may assist.

Best,
Sarah
GM Customer Service

[hayesbcajh]

Something similar happened to my '04 a couple months ago. Except mine was locked going forward and reverse. I was in a pinch so I had it towed to a shop. Turned out that the shoe was seized to the drum. The drum had to be replaced and apparently they are relatively expensive. I think the drum cost me around $80 or more.

[toni1595]

Hey Rusty,
have you found anything about this rear wheel lockup thing? Our 04 Aveo is doing the exact same. I intend to pull the hub off today and see what is going on. I did notice that the emergency brake handle is very tight though, almost as if the parking brake was on. I tried to pull up on it and let it snap back down a few times, but it didn't seem to help any. This car does go forwards OK, but when you back up, it locks the passenger side rear right up.

After I get the drum off and investigate the problem, I'll post back what I find.

Toni

[toni1595]

Well I tried to get this drum to loosen up, but I could not. Figuring it was a bound emergency cable, I cut it off near the back of the brake drum, it didn't help. A new cable is only $22.25, so that damage isn't too bad.

I did read on a website that there is a hole somewhere in the backing plate that will allow the shoes to be backed off, it must not be a conventional access hole that always used to be in these because I looked for one yesterday and I didn't really see anything.

That's what I'm going to attempt today. If I can't get this loosened up, I may need a replacement hub because I can't see any way to get this thing apart otherwise.

Toni

[aleekat]

Old mech trick. Put the wheel on backwards and with a B M F hammer, work your way around the tire.

[toni1595]

Oh I did plenty of pounding and prying today believe me. I'm still not any further ahead than I was.

That hole that I was referring to is simply a access hole to check the thickness of the brake shoe and nothing more.

I called the local Chevy dealer and they directed me to a tech. phone line so I left a message, but never heard anything back from them.

My next plan of attack is to either make a puller or fashion a slide hammer and attach it to the wheel studs. I'll either pull it or destroy the drum and shoes.

One way or the other, it has to come off because I need these wheels back on the road preferably before Monday.

Toni

[toni1595]

Success!!!! I finally have the drum off and found that the front brake shoe's pad cam off from the steel frame. That's what was hanging this one up, it was caught in between. The other shoe is just about ready to let go too. Now I wonder about the other side.

Unless you have a puller that will remove this rear brake drum, forget it. It isn't so much getting it off the shoes as it is pulling the hub off from the bearings. It has 1 tapered roller bearing on each side of the hub. I can't say about the newer Aveo's, but this 2004 is set up this way.

This explains why you don't have a way to relax the shoes, you will end up pulling the drum off anyways, so why release the tension on them?

I made my own puller at my workplace, if anyone wants to see it, I can post a picture of it here I think...??

Off to the parts store.

Toni

[EBQUIN9408]

I am not sure if this forum is still active but I just had somewhat of the same issue with my 2004 Aveo, went to leave work and went into drive and the back drivers side tire just completely locked up and would not move, went into reverse and something clunked and then the tire did move and then tried a few more times to go in drive and the car moved but the tire just stuck, got it towed and now it appears my brake melted into my barring or into the tire and the barring fell apart and had to be replaced, I have done some searching and am finding this is a common issue with the aveo - with parts and labor it has cost me over $300 to fix this issue and I just find it completely weird that this is not a recall seeing as how many instances have occured like this - I have included the links to the other stories that are similar to mine and am hoping that GM or Chevy can help me out with this matter - I am extremely frustrated! (Also I would like to note that I have a great mechanic who has done a lot of work for me and never once ripped me off so I do not think that I am being fooled or over charged)


PLEASE HELP!

[hayesbcajh]

Originally Posted by EBQUIN9408

I am not sure if this forum is still active but I just had somewhat of the same issue with my 2004 Aveo, went to leave work and went into drive and the back drivers side tire just completely locked up and would not move, went into reverse and something clunked and then the tire did move and then tried a few more times to go in drive and the car moved but the tire just stuck, got it towed and now it appears my brake melted into my barring or into the tire and the barring fell apart and had to be replaced, I have done some searching and am finding this is a common issue with the aveo - with parts and labor it has cost me over $300 to fix this issue and I just find it completely weird that this is not a recall seeing as how many instances have occured like this - I have included the links to the other stories that are similar to mine and am hoping that GM or Chevy can help me out with this matter - I am extremely frustrated! (Also I would like to note that I have a great mechanic who has done a lot of work for me and never once ripped me off so I do not think that I am being fooled or over charged)


PLEASE HELP!

That's about what it cost me to have my rear brakes fixed after my incident. If I could have gotten the drum off I would have done it myself and saved a bit. However, I don't think I can blame Chevy for this failure after not attending to the rear brakes for almost 8 years with all the salt they use in the Syracuse area. Lesson learned, inspect and lube rear brakes every year. Maybe every two.

[toni1595]

Well I got out cheaper than that, around $100, if I recall correctly. Of course I had to buy a new bearing because I muffed up the original, but I usually use Rock Auto for this type of thing, so it was reasonable.

The main problem that I see is the brake pads, they're only glued on and not riveted, so eventually they will come off again. I tried to locate some riveted ones, but couldn't. Maybe where they are so small, they can't be???

Not a good design here either, no practical way to back off the shoes. All I could find recommended was to pump the brake 10 to 15 times to ease them off. Grab a puller and take off the drum. Just make sure that you are careful with the bearing within the drum, if yours is this type setup. Replace the brake shoes and put all of the drum internals in and then remount it on to the spindle. Torque the spindle nut to 150 ft/lbs. restake the locking tab and you're set.

Toni

[EBQUIN9408]

Originally Posted by hayesbcajh

That's about what it cost me to have my rear brakes fixed after my incident. If I could have gotten the drum off I would have done it myself and saved a bit. However, I don't think I can blame Chevy for this failure after not attending to the rear brakes for almost 8 years with all the salt they use in the Syracuse area. Lesson learned, inspect and lube rear brakes every year. Maybe every two.

Thanks for your reply! I just find it weird that there was no warning to this happening, I drove my car to work that morning and it was completely fine -I ranged in speed from 30-60 because of the roads I take and took turns and everything again, everything was normal. I just had the brakes changed about 5 or 6 months ago which is why I didn't think something like this should have happened. I don't know about blaming Chevy but I just have seen a number of posts with the same kind of car and the same exact issue with the brake/drum/bearing .. just looking for some answers I suppose - the issue is fixed and the money is already paid so there isn't much I can do from here but I just wanted to look around and see what I could find out.

[jandl99]

Hello,
I am hoping this forum still works. My 2004 Aveo just did exactly what you guys are saying. I went in reverse and it locked up. I called a tow truck and he said it was a caliper. He got in my car and like floored it and it unlocked its self, locked again, and then finally unlocked and was fine. I drove to work the next day and went in reverse and it did it again!! It takes a couple times to go back and forth to unlock it and finally i hear a popping noise and it unlocks. I don't know any mechanics that wont rip me off, so any suggestions? Thanks.

[gmtech1]

Originally Posted by jandl99

Hello,
I am hoping this forum still works. My 2004 Aveo just did exactly what you guys are saying. I went in reverse and it locked up. I called a tow truck and he said it was a caliper. He got in my car and like floored it and it unlocked its self, locked again, and then finally unlocked and was fine. I drove to work the next day and went in reverse and it did it again!! It takes a couple times to go back and forth to unlock it and finally i hear a popping noise and it unlocks. I don't know any mechanics that wont rip me off, so any suggestions? Thanks.

Your Aveo does not have calipers for the rear brakes, it has drum brakes. I recommend pulling the rear drums off and checking the brake shoes for damage, as was seen in the posts above...