Your mechanic says the rear brake shoes are worn, or you hear a scrape from the back wheels every time you stop. Many cars and pickups still have drum brakes at the back, and the shoes inside the drums wear out just like pads do.
So how much does it cost to replace brake shoes? Luxury Auto Works, a repair shop in Austin, Texas, charges $200 to $450 for drum brake shoes and hardware. Roda, near Washington, D.C., starts at $638 to replace rear drum brakes.
With Toyota’s own parts and job time at $132 an hour, new rear shoes on a 2011 or 2012 Toyota Tacoma come to $213.27, or $452.35 with two new drums.
In this guide I will show you what shops charge, what the carmakers’ own parts and times add up to and what owners paid. I will also show you when the drums and wheel cylinders need to go too, and two problems that new shoes will not fix.
What a Shop Charges for Brake Shoes
The Austin shop gives its prices on its parking brake page, updated in August 2026:
The Austin shop allows 1.5 to 3 hours for rear shoes and drums, at $120 to $180 an hour for quality brake shops in the area. Roda picks the car up and brings it back, and it gives a 12 month or 12,000 mile warranty on the work.
A quote can be shoes alone, or shoes with new drums, wheel cylinders and a hardware kit. I advise you to ask the shop to list the parts one by one, so you can compare two quotes fairly.
What Toyota’s Own Parts and Time Come To
Some 2011 and 2012 Tacomas squeaked from the rear drums at the end of a stop. Toyota fixed it with new shoes and drums, and it pays its dealers 1.1 hours for the rear shoes, or 1.2 hours on a 4×4.
With the parts on Toyota’s list, from a Toyota parts website on October 15, 2026, and $132 an hour, Tekmetric’s US average from June 2026, a two wheel drive Tacoma with 5 lug wheels comes to this:
So new shoes alone come to $68.07 + $145.20 = $213.27, and shoes with two new drums come to $452.35.
A Tacoma 4×4 or PreRunner with 6 lug wheels takes cheaper drums, 42431-04080 at $98.75 each, and $1.54 gaskets.
With 1.2 hours, a 4×4 comes to $226.47 for shoes alone or $427.05 with drums. A PreRunner at 1.1 hours comes to $413.85 with drums.
The same Toyota parts website has the rear shoe kit for every 2005 to 2023 Tacoma at $73.15, and a rear wheel cylinder at $44.02. For a 2009 to 2019 Corolla with rear drums, the shoe kit is $63.59 and each rear drum is $84.95.
Trucks with rear disc brakes can still have brake shoes, in a small drum inside each rear rotor that holds the parking brake. GM’s parking brake shoe kit for 2015 to 2019 Silverado and Sierra pickups is $47.67 at a GM parts website.
What Owners Paid
Here is what owners told NHTSA, the US road safety agency, and Tacoma World, a forum for Tacoma owners, that they paid or were quoted, with a link to each post:
- A dealer quoted $239 for rear shoes and labor on a high mileage Tacoma, posted in August 2017.
- A Tacoma owner paid about $400 for rear brakes at an independent off road shop, posted in November 2022.
- A Chevrolet dealer replaced the rear wheel cylinders and shoes, bled the brakes and resurfaced the drums on a 2011 Silverado 1500 for $514.74, filed in November 2014.
- A Honda dealer charged $341 to replace the two rear drums on a 2011 Civic, plus $237 to adjust the brakes, filed in May 2024.
- Les Schwab quoted $650 for shoes, drums and possibly wheel cylinders on a 2013 Tacoma 4×4, posted in May 2023.
- Mechanics quoted at least $900 for rear brakes with new drums on a 2009 Tacoma, posted in March 2026.
- A dealer quoted up to $600 for the parts on a 2013 Tacoma with sticking rear brakes, plus 3 to 4 hours of labor, and the owner put the total at near $1,000, posted in November 2022.
- All new parking brake parts on a 2015 Ram ProMaster van cost $1,400 at a dealer, filed in January 2017.
So owners paid or were quoted $239 to about $1,000 for rear drum brakes, and $1,400 for a van’s whole parking brake.
Doing it yourself costs much less in parts. One Tacoma owner priced two drums, shoes, a spring kit and two wheel cylinders at $366 before a 15 percent discount in November 2022.
Another paid about $350 for Toyota shoes, drums and wheel cylinders plus brake fluid, posted in March 2026.
Do You Need New Drums Too?
Not always. The Chevrolet dealer above resurfaced the Silverado’s drums instead of replacing them, and one Tacoma owner on the forum still had the factory drums after 265,000 miles.
Another owner on the same thread warns against turning rusty drums to save $200, and Toyota fitted new drums with the new shoes in its own squeak fix. Ask the shop to measure the drums and show you why they need to go.
Wheel cylinders are the other common add on. The Silverado above had a wheel cylinder leaking onto the shoes, and the dealer replaced the shoes along with both cylinders.
Two Problems New Shoes Will Not Fix
Some 2017 to 2019 Tacomas with the standard rear differential, not the TRD one, make a noise or vibration from the rear at low speed or while braking.
Toyota found too much clearance between the drum and the axle flange, and it replaces the rear axle shaft.
That bulletin pays 2.6 hours for one axle shaft under Toyota’s 5 year or 60,000 mile powertrain warranty. Those trucks are now more than five years old, but a dealer can still tell you whether the bulletin fits yours.
On some 2009 to 2013 Corollas, the brake pedal slowly travels a little further over time. Toyota writes that braking is not affected, and its fix is a pair of improved rear drum brake adjusters, a 1.4 hour job.
Signs Your Brake Shoes Are Worn
Roda gives these signs for worn rear drum brakes: squeaking or grinding, longer stops, a brake warning light, a spongy pedal and vibration when braking.
On cars whose parking brake works on the rear shoes, a parking brake that no longer holds can mean worn shoes, as on the ProMaster van above.
Drum brakes are hidden behind the drum, so a shop has to pull a drum to see the shoes. The Washington shop advises an inspection every 20,000 to 30,000 miles.
Brake Shoe Questions People Ask
How much does it cost to replace brake shoes?
A repair shop in Austin charges $200 to $450 for drum brake shoes and hardware, and Roda near Washington, D.C. starts at $638 for rear drum brakes. With Toyota’s parts and time, a Tacoma comes to $213.27 for shoes alone.
How much does it cost to replace drum brakes with new drums?
With Toyota’s parts and time at $132 an hour, rear shoes and two new drums on a 2011 or 2012 Tacoma come to $413.85 to $452.35. Owners paid or were quoted $650 to about $1,000 at shops and dealers.
How long does it take to replace brake shoes?
Toyota pays its dealers 1.1 to 1.2 hours for rear shoes on a Tacoma, and the Austin shop allows 1.5 to 3 hours for rear shoes and drums.
How long do brake shoes last?
Tacoma owners on the forum report 10 years or 120,000 miles on the original rear shoes. The shop near Washington advises an inspection every 20,000 to 30,000 miles.
Should I replace the drums with the shoes?
Only if the shop shows you they are worn. A Chevrolet dealer resurfaced a Silverado’s drums, while Toyota fitted new drums in its own squeak fix.
Where These Prices Come From
- Luxury Auto Works, Emergency Brake Repair in Austin, TX, updated August 12, 2026, and Roda, Replace Rear Drum Brakes, read October 15, 2026.
- Toyota bulletins T-SB-0236-12 (December 2012), T-SB-0023-19 (March 2019) and T-SB-0235-12 (2012, revised 2014), on NHTSA’s website.
- Part prices, checked October 15, 2026: ToyotaPartsDeal 04495-04020, 42431-04070, 42431-04080, 42444-35070, 42444-35050, 04495-04010, 47550-04030, 04495-02212 and 42431-02230, and GMPartsGiant 23458645.
- Tekmetric, Average Auto Repair Labor Rates by State, June 30, 2026, and the owner posts and NHTSA complaints linked above, read October 15, 2026.
I hope this helps you know a fair price before the shop pulls the drums. If you have any questions, you can email me at costcheckr@gmail.com.
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