How strongly do you apply your parking brake?

At some point I will do a proper write up about the dramas and unfortunate expenses I have gone through to correct my parking brakes on my 2017 Taco. For now, some very strong advice from my helpful master Toyota mechanic to you: Do not pull your “parking brake” when you are driving a Tacoma forward....ever.....unless you need to to save your life and there is no other choice.

It is not an “emergency brake”. The mechanism inside the drum that engages the parking brake is not robust enough to withstand the forces of applying the “parking brake” when the truck is rolling. As a couple of the posters have pointed out, this action engages the brakes too hard, too soon, and tends to lock up the rear wheels. When the rear wheels lock up, there is a shock load that has a tendency to bend the pivot posts for these mechanisms, which are part of the hub.......you see where this is going maybe......The damage done by this action is cumulative, which tends to make the entire mechanism inside the drum more loose with time, which tends to make it lock up even harder, and so on......

Now, my parking brake was engaging while I was driving for reasons other than me pulling it (that’s the part of the story I’ll type out another time), but the result is the same: New hubs, new oil seals, new rear wheel bearings, new shoes.......



So again......never ever, ever, ever, ever, not ever, pull that damn lever while driving.

 

I feel like using the parking brake in an emergency is pretty much the same as people who had to “lay their bike down.” If you have the time and composure to pull the parking brake in an emergency, better to spend that mental energy steering to avoid a collision.

 

If it's the same as second gens the cable is swaged to a bolt thread that pulls a yoke under the center console with an adjusting nut on the primary cable plus balancing nuts on each of the similarly bolt-swaged rear brake cables. The cable housing stops are just behind the yoke and the cables exit through the drive shaft tunnel. They're pretty substantial cables.

 

5-7 clicks

 

on my 94 tacoma it stated on the sun visor placard 7 clicks any more than that it needed adjusted some va inspections places will reject if you have to pull it out to the end for holding

 

I park on a steep driveway, so I put it in park, then pull the emergency brake up tight but not hulk tight, never taking my foot off the brake, so the truck doesn't rest on the gears or roll once in park, if that makes sense

 

I’ve always pulled it tight enough to be an unintentional security device for some - they couldn’t release it. I’ve never had to adjust anything on any Toyota I’ve owned. I’d be more worried about the wrath of girlfriend or family member (that couldn’t release the brake) than stretching the cable. I also come from a generation that thinks of it as a parking brake. Engine braking would be the instinctual reaction then probably the parking brake should the brakes fail.

 

Set the parking brake, release the foot brake, (let the wt settle on the parking brake) then put the trans in park.

 

I wonder if Bill’s way is better. It seems that letting the truck release the forward tension from D, then applying the Parking Brake is better than releasing the foot brake after Park + e-brake.

 

I pull it so hard I have to call a second set of hands to help release.

I’m talking about parking brake btw.

 

I park on a steep driveway and use the ebrake daily to alleviate undue stress on the transmissions parking paw.

1) Stop the truck
2) Place transmission in neutral w/ foot brake applied.
3) Apply parking brake and release foot brake. (truck will now be held by the parking brake, not the transmission)
4) Re-apply foot brake and place truck into park.

I've done this for years after seeing some parking paws fail. Its quick, easy, and takes an extra 4 seconds. It also prevents undue stress in the driveline as well.

 

I always use the parking brake, on these tacomas in a driveway they will roll back a full foot if you don't. I have had way too many times the kids are jumping out the vehicle and you put it in park with no parking brake and it rolls back at the same time.

I crank it up I don't count the clicks probably 6-7 I'd guess.

Also I'm really glad the 3rd gen has this style of parking brake, the 2nd gen I had was equipped with a pull handle in the dash and you turned it to release.

The chevy colorado has the pedal style I can't stand it reminds me of a minivan!

 

I liked the pull handle in my 2nd gen 4runner, I must have punched the dash of my 3rd gen Taco a dozen times when I first got it.

 

soo hard that I tore it off the floor.

 

It should be set with as much force as you can possibly muster.

 

Holy shit. I didn't even know this was a thing I had to worry about. Thanks, Tacomaworld. I've been yanking on the parking brake for like 20 years...

 

It’s not. Common sense should prevail.

 

So happy my Tacoma parking brake handle is between the seats next to the shift lever....soooo much more convenient than the !@#$%^& floor pedal!

 

Best way would be > Neutral> Hand brake> Park