Brakes · critical priority
Rear Drum Brake Service Cost & Pricing
Replace rear brake shoes, springs, and hardware on vehicles with drum brakes. Drum brakes are common on the rear axle of economy cars, trucks, and vehicles made before the mid-2000s. Includes drum resurfacing or replacement when worn beyond spec.
Typical Rear Drum Brake Service cost
$150–$550, with an average estimate of $300 before vehicle-specific adjustments.
What to expect
Difficulty: moderate. Typical labor time: 1–3 hours.
Mechanic's tip
Drum brakes are self-adjusting but the adjuster mechanism often seizes on high-mileage vehicles — a shop should clean and free up the adjuster when servicing the shoes. Compare your rear brake type before booking: rear disc brakes use pads and rotors (different service), while drum brakes use shoes and drums. A metal-on-metal grinding from the rear is either worn shoes or a seized adjuster that's let the shoes wear to the backing plate. Replace all springs and hardware as a kit since they're cheap and weaken with heat cycles.