XC70 Parking Brake problem

[TrstnBrtt]

Hey all,
I've recently discovered a problem with my parking brake. Sometimes it works just fine (nice and tight, only a few clicks and it holds the car) and sometimes it pulls straight up all the way and it doesn't hold the car. It's occurring more and more recently but then randomly working sometimes. Should I just be replacing the parking brake shoes or is there more that could be causing this problem? I believe the parking brake cable was adjusted when I bought the car 6 months ago so I'm not going to bother with that but I know there's the problem of the shoes becoming "de-laminated'. Just wondering if there's anything else I should be ordering when I buy parts.
Thank you

[bugeye]

If parking brake shoes are original, time to replace as the brake material delaminates from the metal backing. A loose shoe remnant can jam and cause the wheel to lock with potentially causing hub damage. Easy to pull the rotor and examine parts. When our 2004 XC70 locked a wheel, I removed rotor and the pieces fell out. I also removed the rest of the friction material (no parking brake) until the parts were obtained.

Replace shoes with Volvo brand, about $40 us. Replace hardware (springs) about $25 us. Easy to change, just like drum brakes. The retaining springs are a little frustrating to remove. Release the adjustment under the parking brake lever boot to allow parts to be removed at the rear. Clean the lever assembly in brake cleaner and lubricate slightly.

[oragex]

From under the car, have a look where the brake cable goes into the rear drum. There is a seal (black o-ring), if missing or cracked, water gets inside the cable and damage it. Also check cables fixations under the vehicles.

[TrstnBrtt]

Awesome! Thank you for the advice. I've altogether stopped using the parking brake and since it's the long weekend I'll pop the wheels off and have a look.