EPB fault 'Check Parking Brake System' returns.

[Konrad C]

Some might have read my other post that I had my clutch replaced, and soon after, there was a beep, warning lights appeared with the message displayed 'Check Parking Brake System'. I manage to reset the system and all was well. The car was fine for the rest of the day.

The next day, after about 15 minutes on the road, the same alerts appeared. I was just driving. When I got to my destination. I repeated the jumper wire fix, but the cautions are not clearing and every time I start the car, there is a Beep and 'Check Parking Brake System' appears. The auto release does not work, so I have to pull the EPB button. Applying the parking brake has always been normal. Car rolls easily when the brakes are released, and on the motorway, I hardly need any gas, using lots of lift off the throttle. 

I will look at the rear brakes (the disc/pads were changed over a year ago), the connections to the clutch switch and throttle switch. The car starts with the clutch pressed as normal, but I will test to see if it starts without touching the clutch pedal - point to switch failure. The throttle works fine, but I will read up on that. There could be a switch that is not working. I will check the under bonnet connections. The gear change indicator works, cruise control works.

So what i am looking for, is a bad connection or a cable disturbed during the clutch replacement operation. I will use my Lauch  reader to help pin point the issue.

Updates to follow when I find the fault.  

 

 

 

[Mr Wolf]

Yesterday I happened to check the service record for my vehicle in my MyToyota account and there was an entry dated 17 Sept 2015 "Customer reports check parking brake system warning". My car was registered on 31 March 2015 and the warning would have been reported by the previous owner as I bought the car in January 2017. I haven't had any problems with the EPB but it shows that there were (are?) issues with it even in later versions of Konrad's vehicle. In my case less than 6 months from new! 

[Willss]

Was looking at potentially getting a new avensis estate and test drove a 16 plate one at the weekend to give me an idea of what they were like.  The one I was expecting to drive wasn't available due to a 'fault' the one I drove (16 plate - 12,000miles) came up with an error message saying to 'check parking brake system' half way through our test drive.  

I'm sure many people get used to it but the position of the switch and the whirring noise when applied (just waiting to go wrong) was enough to put me off the car - the 1.6 diesel I drove was also extremely unrefined - more so than any diesel I've driven for the last 15 years.  Was expecting to love the car due to equipment levels, space and comfort but came away less than impressed and decided to stick with my auris tourer.

 

Konrad - good luck with finding the cause of the error message!

[Konrad C]

Update - It's fixed!

My friend who does car diagnostics did a check and came back with no signal from gear position sensor, after digging down the EPB fault. I then had to remove the air filter box to find it.  

So it turns out that the Gear position sensor had not been reconnected properly, so it fell off.  Also note  the hanging cable support. The garage (not the one who did the clutch) has given me some replacement bolts, which I will refit after sending this post.

Happy ending!    

[Per L]

Hi Konrad, 

I think my Avensis has the exact same issue that you are describing. I want to try your solution but I'm a bit confused about what the pictures are showing? Can we see the loose gear position sensor in the pictures? 

Also, is the "air filter box" the black box between the engine block and the fuse box? 

Thanks, Per

[Konrad C]

1 hour ago, Per L said:

Hi Konrad, 

I think my Avensis has the exact same issue that you are describing. I want to try your solution but I'm a bit confused about what the pictures are showing? Can we see the loose gear position sensor in the pictures? 

Also, is the "air filter box" the black box between the engine block and the fuse box? 

Thanks, Per

Hi Per,

My fault was caused by the mechanic who change the clutch, not securing the connector to to the gear position sensor properly. So unless similar work has been done, the connector should be firmly fixed and secured in place. The fault was properly diagnosed before any dismantling was done. 
Recently I changed the rear brake pads, and mistakenly used my Launch Creader to reset the parking brakes. All it did was delete the calibrations leaving the car with the "check parking brake system" message plus the cautions and warnings, and no auto release. I then got my diagnostic netbook and got codes C1336 and C1346, but the software could not clear them. I got Techstream and that fixed the system. 

Another cause of the Parking brake fault can be a seized piston in the rear caliper. A friend has just this very fault and is changing the caliper. Also the cables can seize or break.

It seems that the actual EPB unit is okay so long as water does not get in, so avoid deep puddles! It is expensive to fix, and it's best to eliminate the other causes before laying blame at the EPB unit.  

[Per L]

Hi,
I had my gear box and clutch replaced, and got the "Check parking brake system" the day after I got the car back. That's why I'm suspecting it's the same issue that you had, plus the system itself is working fine without any issues (auto release, EPB button etc). I'm no expert on cars however so I find it difficult to locate the switch.. Do you suggest taking the car to a Toyota dealership to verify the error code before checking the gear position sensor?

Cheers, Per

[Konrad C]

Good pro level diagnostics like Techstream should confirm the actual problem. my friend who is an auto electrician used something else, and it pinpointed the actual fault. Since you have had recent transmission work done, it would good to check the connection. 
here are a few pictures of where to look. 

With the air filter in place. 

The next few photos are with the air filter still in place, so pictures are looking under it. 

 The bracket holding the cable needs to be bolted securely or it will tug on the connection, causing it to disconnect. 

 

Add these to those in my other post, and you should get an idea of where to look, which is at the back of the gearbox close to the selector cables. 

The 

 

[Konrad C]

Thanks to Per, when I went to take new photos of the gearbox, I noticed how oily it was compared a couple of years ago. 
First to remove the air filter housing. Unplug the MAF sensor, and unclip the cable from the upper housing. Use a 10mm socket or cross head screwdriver to remove the intake pipe. 

Remove the 3 bolts securing the lower housing.

Remove the cable bracket at the rear of the housing. Detach the housing from the air intake pipe and remove.

You now have a good access to the gearbox. Notice the pool of fluid. Even the gear position sensor and cable is covered.

I cleaned the area as best I could and tightened the large bolt.

 

It only took a few minutes to reassemble everything.

I will check the area again, and if more fluid appears, get a suitable washer. Hopefully tightening the bolt fixed the problem.

 

 

[Per L]

Thank you for the informative pictures. I understand where and what to look for now! I will check the connection during the weekend and see if that was in case the problem.

Cheers, Per

[Per L]

Hi,
It was indeed the same problem. This is what I found after removing the air filter box:

No gear position sensor as far as the eye can see! 
After some searching I found it a bit further to the left and down, below the grey cable: (you can see the attachment point lit up in the bottom part of the picture).

After reconnecting it the error vanished and everyone is happy :)

 

[Heidfirst]

always nice when somebody posts feedback - even better if it is a positive solution. 🙂

[Konrad C]

On 2/24/2019 at 8:09 PM, Per L said:

Hi,
It was indeed the same problem. This is what I found after removing the air filter box:

No gear position sensor as far as the eye can see! 
After some searching I found it a bit further to the left and down, below the grey cable: (you can see the attachment point lit up in the bottom part of the picture).

After reconnecting it the error vanished and everyone is happy 🙂

 

Per, I am glad to have helped. But, at the same time I am a bit shocked that something like this has happened. In both cases, I assumed the mechanics must have rushed the job and did not check or remember every connection. It's a good job this was external or it would be another strip down job!

I always try to post as much if and pictures as possible, in the event that somebody may have a similar issue in the future. 
 

On 2/25/2019 at 12:27 AM, Heidfirst said:

always nice when somebody posts feedback - even better if it is a positive solution. 🙂

I agree Scott. It is good to share solutions and nice to receive feedback.

[Charis79]

Hi,

I have the exact same problem. Although my case is such that after a while it goes away by engaging and disengaging the handbreak and turning the engine on/off. The problem with me is that when this happens, the accelerator pedal disengages and the car is dead in the water with the engine running which can be potentially dangerous (e.g. when overtaking). I went through the whole process shown above but I couldn't find any loose items. However my setup seemed a bit different. The only thing I could spot as problematic is that in the location shown above where oil had accumulated, I instead had major collection of leaves and thick spherical woody seeds ( half inch -1 cm in diameter). I cleaned the whole area with a vacuum and I am hoping that it was some leaves or seeds that were messing something. 

I am attaching the photos here. If anyone has any idea or spots something that I missed,it would be great to have some feedback. In any case, if this happens again I am taking the car for a service.

 

Thanks everyone for the info and photos that were posted.

Charis

[Konrad C]

On 7/17/2019 at 8:19 PM, Charis79 said:

Hi,

I have the exact same problem. Although my case is such that after a while it goes away by engaging and disengaging the handbreak and turning the engine on/off. The problem with me is that when this happens, the accelerator pedal disengages and the car is dead in the water with the engine running which can be potentially dangerous (e.g. when overtaking). I went through the whole process shown above but I couldn't find any loose items. However my setup seemed a bit different. The only thing I could spot as problematic is that in the location shown above where oil had accumulated, I instead had major collection of leaves and thick spherical woody seeds ( half inch -1 cm in diameter). I cleaned the whole area with a vacuum and I am hoping that it was some leaves or seeds that were messing something. 

I am attaching the photos here. If anyone has any idea or spots something that I missed,it would be great to have some feedback. In any case, if this happens again I am taking the car for a service.

 

Thanks everyone for the info and photos that were posted.

Charis

You need to get proper diagnostic done to find out what is happening! From the photos, it looks like you have had rodents nesting there. It's possible wires could have been chewed. The diagnostics will help, plus a visual check of the cabling. 
When you put everything back together, double check the connections, especially to the throttle body and MAF sensor. Also make sure the MAF sensor is clean, using MAF sensor spray. Don't touch the delicate wires with anything!
Here are links that may be related:-

 

[Gavin Putrus]

I changed the rear caliper on my 2010 Avensis T4. The 'Check Parking Brake' warning is coming each time I use the EPB. If I turn off the ignition and re turn it on, it will clear the code and allow use of the EPB again, but only once. When putting the EPB on, the sound coming from the rear seems ok but when releasing the EPB, noise seems to continue longer than usual. I tried putting the old calliper (which has a small leak) back and the EPB seem stop work fine. 

Any advice how to resolve this would be much appreciated.

[Gavin Putrus]

sorry, the last sentence should be: I tried putting the old calliper (which has a small leak) back and the EPB seem to work fine. 

[Konrad C]

Have you seen this post? https://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/189425-pagid-refurbished-caliper-problem/

[Gavin Putrus]

Thanks Konrad,

I just had a look. I think the calliper is working and I can see the brake engaging, so the piston must be turning in the right direction. Listening at the sound of the two sides during on/off, both sides seem to make the usual sound after switching the EPB on, however when releasing (turn off) the EPB, the replaced calliper seems to move slowly and stop after few seconds (the usual correct timing), but I hear the sound from the calliper on the other side (original one) continue to work for longer time (~5 second or so). I took the car this morning to a mechanic and to Halfords and both said that the EPB needs calibration and only the dealer has the equipment and can do this. Haven't decided yet, as I am afraid of the dealer bill if turns out that they may need to replace more parts!

[Konrad C]

The calibration can be done using Techstream and Delphi software and USB to OBD cables. Don't use some scanners like my Launch which does 'reset parking brake'. Beware, reset parking brake only removes the zero point calibration of the clutch pedal and g-force sensor. I had to download Techstream to fix the problem using my mini VCI cable. 

Watch this video from 21:30 to see how it's done. He is using Delphi. 

Hopefully the cables and pins that link everything have been check.
Good luck.👍

[jojo camo]

it seem like this error Check parking brake is a common issue relating to avensis.

my brakes could not release so i had to do it manually.would appreciate more info on this.

[Heidfirst]

Hi Jodi, welcome to TOC 🙂

You really need to get it code read - there are so many interlinked systems/sensors in modern cars that a fault can can show up as a warning for something that isn't immediately connected. Getting it code read hopefully should nail down exactly what the real fault is. Yours sounds like it may be linked to the actuator which is an expensive part to replace.

[Heirflic]

My 2009 Avensis 108000 miles had a Front end low speed speed shunt where Front bumper cracked. It went into body shop Vauxhall dealers for repair and was returned without working epb. Body shop said car came in with fault and which wasn’t the case despite my protest. I took car to trusted local garage for annual service and mot. The car failed on the failed epb, they suggested ecu check at £110. 
Main dealer diagnostic diagnosed failed parking actuator and this is main dealer part and well over £1500 to repair.  I wasn’t convinced as worked fine before the impact. 
After process of elimination and speaking with independent plant mechanic who works on Diesel engines he suggested a new Battery as the system to check runs through the car system and picks up faults by the available amps in the wiring system. 
Guess what. New Battery fixed the problem and almost traded this car in. 

[Konrad C]

2 hours ago, Heirflic said:

My 2009 Avensis 108000 miles had a Front end low speed speed shunt where Front bumper cracked. It went into body shop Vauxhall dealers for repair and was returned without working epb. Body shop said car came in with fault and which wasn’t the case despite my protest. I took car to trusted local garage for annual service and mot. The car failed on the failed epb, they suggested ecu check at £110. 
Main dealer diagnostic diagnosed failed parking actuator and this is main dealer part and well over £1500 to repair.  I wasn’t convinced as worked fine before the impact. 
After process of elimination and speaking with independent plant mechanic who works on Diesel engines he suggested a new battery as the system to check runs through the car system and picks up faults by the available amps in the wiring system. 
Guess what. New battery fixed the problem and almost traded this car in. 

Well done Robert. I have always said that the EPB unit though not perfect, most issues caused are external and a lot cheaper too! A below Battery is another one. I replaced my Battery last year with an Exide Premium that copes with low usage, big capacity and quick charge. With the current situation, a good Battery is necessary.
Anyway another positive outcome.    

[Carl Lucas]

Just had my rear brake pads changed at a local garage, 2015 Toyota Avensis, and I’ve now got the ‘Check brake system’ message.
Parking brake system works fine using the button but does not operate automatically when I stop the engine.

message stays on (comes back after a few seconds after clearing)

took it back to the garage and he says it needs to be reset (which he can’t do as?)

can this be reset easily