The parking brake on my 2003 Tribute would not work at all. It felt like the lever was disconnected from the cable entirely. I didn't want to drive the distance to my dealer, so I took it to my local independent mechanic who has worked on some of my other cars. He charged me $360 for labor, $79 for a "front cable," $68 for a "left rear cable" and $47 for a "right rear cable."The invoice says that the console and the rear brakes had to be disassembled to install the new cables. Are these charges justified or am I being ripped off?

 

I think you got completely ripped off. The top of the console has to be taken apart to get to the handle (maybe a less than 10 minute job for someone who knows what they are doing.) A reputable shop could do a complete rear brake job in ~ 1 hr.

FYI...You probably could have had that fixed at a Ford Dealer (Same as Ford Escape.)