Parts for your 2006 Subaru Forester-Brake shoes

2006 Subaru Forester Brake Shoes – What They Do and How to Look After Them

Based on the Subaru Factory Service Manual for the 2006 Forester (SG series) and AU/NZ parts catalogues from Subaru and major brake manufacturers, this model runs ventilated disc brakes for stopping, and a separate “drum-in-hat” parking brake inside the rear rotors. That internal drum uses small brake shoes. So yes—brake shoes are relevant on a 2006 Subaru Forester, specifically for the handbrake.

On this Forester, the brake shoes aren’t part of the main braking system, they’re dedicated to the handbrake. The shoes press outward against the inside of the rear rotor hat (a small drum surface) to hold the vehicle when parked. Because they’re only used for parking, they wear far more slowly than the disc pads, but they still need periodic attention to keep the handbrake strong, quiet and consistent.

As part of routine servicing, it’s worth inspecting the parking brake shoes every 12 months or around every 20,000 km—more often if the vehicle tows, sees beach work, or drives through mud. The technician will remove the rear rotors, check the shoe linings for thickness and even contact, look for glazing, cracking or oil/grease contamination, and assess the drum surface inside the rotor for scoring or rust build-up.

• Replace shoes as an axle set if the friction lining is worn close to the backing plate, contaminated, cracked, or the adjusters are near the end of their travel.
• Clean hardware and lightly lubricate the shoe contact points on the backing plate and the adjuster threads with a high-temp brake grease—never on the friction surfaces.
• Adjust the star wheel so the rotor slips on with light, even drag, then fine-tune so the handbrake holds the car firmly on a hill within a small number of lever clicks.
• Bed-in new shoes with a few moderate handbrake applications at low speed (where safe) to seat the linings to the drum surface.

If the handbrake needs heaps of lever travel, struggles to hold on an incline, or squeals/feels grabby, the shoes may be glazed, misadjusted, or contaminated. Cable stretch, tired return springs or a rusty drum surface can also be culprits. Any time rear rotors are replaced, the shoes should be checked and the handbrake re-adjusted. Keeping this little system tidy means easy WOF/RWC checks and a Forester that stays put when parked.

Popular questions about 2006 Subaru Forester brake shoes

Do 2006 Foresters use brake shoes or just pads?
They use both: disc pads for normal braking, and small brake shoes inside the rear rotor hat for the handbrake. This drum-in-hat setup is shown in the Subaru workshop manual and mirrored across AU/NZ parts catalogues.

How often should the handbrake shoes be replaced?
They usually last years because they’re not used for service braking. Inspect them annually or every 20,000 km. Replace if the linings are thin, cracked, glazed, contaminated, or if adjustment is maxed out yet holding power is poor.

Can the handbrake be adjusted at the lever?
Final slack can be trimmed at the lever, but the primary adjustment is at the star wheel at each rear hub. Best practice (as per the factory manual) is to set shoe-to-drum clearance first, then fine-tune cable free play at the lever.