MajorVery commonBrakes

Toyota Fielder: Rear Drum Adjuster Corrosion — Ineffective Handbrake

Rear Drum Adjuster Corrosion — Ineffective Handbrake is a very common brakes fault on the Toyota Fielder on the 2000–2006 cars, and we rate it major. Putting it right costs $200 to $500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. Below is what goes wrong, the symptoms to notice on a test drive, where to look, and what to ask the seller before you hand over any money. It is one of 37 documented faults on the Toyota Fielder.

Vehicle: Toyota Fielder
Years: 2000–2006
Fuel: petrol
System: Brakes

This page covers the Toyota Fielder as a model. Some faults only affect particular engines or build years — enter a plate below to narrow the list to one car.

All Toyota Fielder faults37 documented faults on this model

What you are looking at

No photograph available

We do not hold a verified photograph of the Body corrosion yet. We would rather show none than show a picture of a different part.

What goes wrong

The rear drum brake self-adjuster on the ZZE122 Corolla Fielder consists of a threaded star-wheel strut assembly housed inside the drum. Moisture infiltration through worn drum lip seals, combined with brake dust and road contamination, creates a corrosive environment that attacks the adjuster threads. Once the threads corrode and seize, the adjuster can no longer extend to compensate for brake shoe wear. As the shoes wear down and the adjuster fails to follow, both pedal travel and parking brake lever travel increase progressively. NZ grey imports frequently arrive with this corrosion already established from Japanese winter road service. This is among the most commonly cited WoF failures on ZZE122 imports and typically requires full drum brake rebuild with new adjuster struts.

What you would notice

Parking brake lever travels more than 5 to 6 clicks before holding the vehicle
Vehicle fails to hold on a gradient with handbrake fully applied
Excessive brake pedal travel before braking force builds
Scraping or grinding sound from rear drums when brakes are applied
WoF failure for insufficient parking brake holding efficiency

How to check it

Where to look. Rear axle — both rear brake drums, internal self-adjuster star wheel and strut mechanism

Test the parking brake on a gradient — it should hold firmly within 4 to 6 clicks. Check shoe lining thickness, inspect drums for scoring, and assess drum lip seals for wear. Manual operation of the adjuster should move freely without binding. If a workshop inspection is possible: Remove both rear drums and inspect the adjuster star wheel and strut for corrosion, thread damage, and freedom of movement through its full range.

Parts involved: Body corrosion.

What it costs to put right

$200 to $500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

Ask the seller

“How many clicks does the handbrake take to hold on a slope?”
“Have the rear brakes been serviced since the vehicle was imported to NZ?”
“Has the car had any WoF failures related to brakes or the parking brake?”

Now check the Toyota Fielder you are actually looking at

Everything above is true of the model, and it is free. What it does not tell you is whether THIS car has been looked after: its odometer history and whether the reading has ever gone backwards, whether there is still money owing on it, whether it has been reported stolen, how many owners it has had and what it is really worth today. That comes from the official records for that plate. Enter the plate for the free details, or get the full history and a market valuation from $13.49.

Not sure what you would be paying for? See what a full KickTyres check includes.

Where this comes from

The failure described above is documented in published sources — owner forums, technical service bulletins, recall notices and workshop write-ups — held in our fault database. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them, and it is a starting point for an inspection rather than a manufacturer statement.

Toyota Fielder buyer questions

Is rear drum adjuster corrosion — ineffective handbrake serious on a Toyota Fielder?

We rate it major and very common on the Toyota Fielder. The rear drum brake self-adjuster on the ZZE122 Corolla Fielder consists of a threaded star-wheel strut assembly housed inside the drum. Moisture infiltration through worn drum lip seals, combined with brake dust and road contamination, creates a corrosive environment that attacks the adjuster threads. Once the threads corrode and seize, the adjuster can no longer extend to compensate for brake shoe wear. As the shoes wear down and the adjuster fails to follow, both pedal travel and parking brake lever travel increase progressively. NZ grey imports frequently arrive with this corrosion already established from Japanese winter road service. This is among the most commonly cited WoF failures on ZZE122 imports and typically requires full drum brake rebuild with new adjuster struts.

How much does it cost to fix on a Toyota Fielder?

$200 to $500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That figure is for this job on its own. A car showing the symptoms on this page is usually worth either walking away from or negotiating down by at least the repair figure.

Which Toyota Fielder years are affected?

Our research records this fault on the 2000–2006 Toyota Fielder. Build dates move around, especially on imported cars, so treat the range as the years to look hardest at rather than a guarantee either way. The official records tell you the exact build and first registration date for the car in front of you.