Recent studies have dealt with brake squeal in terms of the coupled vibration of brake component parts. In this paper, we assemble the mode models derived from FE analysis of the individual components of the drum brake system into the system model by considering the friction interaction of the lining and drum at the interface. The validity of the component models are backed up by the experimental confirmation work. By scrutinizing the real parts of the complex eigen-values of the system, the unstable modes, which may be strong candidate sources of squeal noise, are identified. Mode participation factors are calculated to examine the modal coupling mechanism. The model predictions for the unstable frequencies pointed well the actual squeal noise frequencies measured through field test. Sensitivity analysis is also performed to identify parametric dependency trend of the unstable modes, which would indicate the direction for the squeal noise reduction design. Finally, reduction of the squeal noise tendency through shape modification is tried.