I'm not sure what the deal is with parking brake cables, but I had issues when I replaced them on my GMC truck and went through three cables before I got one that was correct.
It's not just a Dorman thing either, because the first cable I bought from RockAuto was an AC Delco brand and it was assembled wrong. The second one I got from Carquest and it too was assembled incorrectly. The third one was a Dorman from Napa and it was fine. Most car parts are made in China these days so I'm not surprised by your experience because I've seen it myself also.
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