Automatic Handbrake

[tumshie]

Hi Revband,

The same thing happened to me with my 59 plate Avensis and they knocked me back because they could not recreate the problem which was after only 3500mls. when it happened again I called out toyota roadside recovery, so that I would have the problem logged. The second time it happened was in between 2 recalls by Toyota. The handbrake actuator was replaced under warranty. You will see from my current post regarding my 13 plate Avensis, even with proof of the same fault code (P 1750) they did nothing and said it could be the anti-lock brake actuator. They reset everything and gave me my car back without replacing anything.

I am still waiting for Toyota to get back to me regarding the ECU they replaced last year and were sending to Japan for examination.

I have also reported the matter to VOSA who are also involved.

I am still awaiting a reply from both.

I am assuming the garage assured you, your car is safe to drive.!

[rogersp]

Hi all

Having a 2013 1.8 vvt Tourer I can honestly say I'm happy with the car.

Concerning the automatic hand brake issues highlighted here I wonder how big a problem it really is considering the number of cars built here in the UK and at other plants around the world?

That said, I appreciate if you are an owner affected by this issue it a major concern and I can only empathise.

As a straw poll can I ask those who have not had a problem with the auto HB also post here?

[Pedal Head]

I've seen this on my 2012 TR diesel tourer, I came out of Tesco to find it on the other side of the car park. I put it down to withdrawing the ignition key and opening the drivers door before the brake had fully engaged. Additionally quite why the car doesn't come with hill start assist I've no idea given the illogical placement of the parking brake

I fully agree with Cogs220 this is by far the worst car I've owned in 20 years only surpassed by a 1989 Montego I once owned. In the year I've had it I've suffered numerous rattles the dealer has so far been unable to fully bottom out. I'm currently down to two, one from the right side dash air vent and one from the front passenger side head rest.Further to this I've had two replacement drive belts fitted at 20K and 30K due to slippage and I now find the drivers side window not working intermittently for the second time.

It's a shame as the car pretty much ticks all the boxes I want from a car and it's reasonable specification for what you pay but enough is enough so it'll be moving it on shortly. I always thought of Toyota a brand with a reputation for quality and reliability & while it may be true of Japanese vehicles it doesn't seem to extend to the Burnaston factory.

[jonny123456]

I'm looking to potentially buy an Avensis.

From reading this thread, there appear to be two separate issues

1) Avensis parking break not applying correctly (possibly a bug, possibly user error) that can be mitigated against by leaving in gear/park when parked

2) An error which appears on the dash regarding the parking break, which costs £1500 to fix if not under warranty, caused by water ingress.

Does that sound correct?

With regards to 2) which is the thing putting me off a purchase, is there anything that can be checked visually or whilst test driving an Avensis to see if this is likely to be a fault? More importantly, are there any preventative measures to be taken to stop this from happening (especially if it's down to water ingress)?

The entire issue is making me lean towards buying a used approved Toyota (if anything), but my budget will most likely only get me a 4-5 year old car with 1 year warranty - so am obviously a little nervous about this...

[Heidfirst]

If you could stretch to a car registered after June 2010 then that is when Toyota introduced the 5 year warranty.

You might also want to check exactly when Toyota changed the parking brake behaviour & moved the button position.

For a fee you can extend Toyota warranties (not sure exactly atm for how long as I have seen 7, 8 & 10 years mentioned recently).

[jonny123456]

If you could stretch to a car registered after June 2010 then that is when Toyota introduced the 5 year warranty.

You might also want to check exactly when Toyota changed the parking brake behaviour & moved the button position.

For a fee you can extend Toyota warranties (not sure exactly atm for how long as I have seen 7, 8 & 10 years mentioned recently).

Is there any correlation between Toyota moving the parking break position and behaviour, and the issues (i.e. is newer better / less likely to fail)?

[FROSTYBALLS]

Up to December 2013, extended warranties could be bought from Toyota dealers up to the time the vehicle reached 8 years of age. Since December that has been extended to 10 years of age.

There was also an anomaly where, if people had an extended warranty that was due to expire, the warranty management company could directly renew extended warranties up to the time the car reached 10 years of age.

[jonny123456]

Thanks for the input, but is there anything to be done to either detect that the issue may occur (pre-purchase) or to prevent it from occurring (when an owner)?

If it's caused by water ingress, is there anything that can be greased to protect whatever component is failing?