I might be funny, but I replaced the parking brake shoes and adjusted them in the Suburban two years ago. They worked okay (but not like they ought to) for a few months, and now don’t hold it at all. Since they were only set with the car stationary, and I’ve not driven with them on, there should be zero wear to the linings and drums.You guys are funny. My camper is sitting in my sloped driveway right now, hitched to the back of my [stick shift] F150, wheels pointed straight ahead, and the whole mess is being held firmly and reliably in place with the parking brake. It won't roll. At all. I could reach in and move the gearshifter around right now, there is zero weight being placed on the transmission.
If your parking brake doesn't work, it is broken, and needs to be fixed. It isn't that big of a deal. I understand areas that get more road salt than we do will present more frequent need for servicing of ALL your brakes, but that doesn't mean you cannot drive a car.
Maybe it’s just a bad design by GM. For some reason, they designed the pedal to require little effort to set the brake. Not sure if that has to do with the multitude of GM full-size trucks with non-functioning parking brakes.