Pontiac Repair: Emergency brake cable broke?, grand prix gt, emergency brake

Question
I have a 1998 Grand Prix GT, about 125k miles. I always set the emergency brake when I turn the car off. Tonight I got home, turned the car off, and pressed the emergency brake pedal. I felt/heard something give or snap, and now the pedal is much easier to press down than it was. I'm wondering if a cable snapped or came loose. The pedal will still push down, stay, and release when I push it again. The brake light still comes on when the pedal is pressed, but I'm able to move the car forward and backward. My question is what normally causes this behavior, and how much does it generally cost to fix?

Thanks for the help!

Answer
Hey Jeff:
One of the cables either broke or the ratchet assembly in the pedal broke. Without seeing it it's hard to tell what actaully broke. the cables are not all that expensive but the pedal assembly is. I have seen a few of these where the bale retainer breaks off the cable at the rear backing plate this is an easy and cheap fix hope that's it. Good luck :)