Parking Brake Inoperable...

[2912pwil]

Yesterday 6th coming off M4 at J6 for Slough/Windsor a message I'd never (thankfully) seen before popped up with other warning lights and alarms - "Parking Brake Inoperable".  It is inoperable, luckily failed "off", won't turn on/off. 137k miles, regularly serviced - last Jan 2023 independent I've used fort year.. 

Being the magic hat weekend of course I can't book any visit to a garage before Tuesday morning so dunno when I'll be offered a slot... I gather from other posts this fault can be "interesting". 

Any suggestions please for anything I might do before speaking to garage Tuesday? 

Suspect a bit tatty 64-plate 137k 2ltr diesel ain;t gonna be worth much.. so bracing for it may be time to say goodbye to it & buy something newer.  Had it since 8k-ish, never had serious problems so can't complain.  

 

Best regards all.. 

[avetoy]

Is the Battery ok?

[Seb_90]

Connect OBDII scanner to read the error message 

[Derek.w]

What is the Battery condition as a low voltage failing Battery is first thing to check.

[2912pwil]

Thanks all: Battery I'm confident is OK - it happened when doing about 50, only a couple of years old, bought a "bigger" Battery, no issues with starting etc etc.. Don't have an OBD scanner.  Oddly driving (very gingerly) to shop mainly flat roads the warning pinged again & changed to "Check Parking Brake System" - stopped and all seems working normally now(!)  My old dad (born 1903, never needed a driving test), purchased his first car for £10 from a garage in Oxford street (yes, London shopping Oxford Street) - from someone who's promise was to always buy back for £5 - used to say the only things you should worry about were do steering & brakes work..- which I kinda care about also.  Safety first!  Will definitely get it checked by garage.. and hardly use until OK'd. 

 

Many thanks, best regards to all.

[m456an]

The Battery voltage maybe OK, but it is worth doing a stress test on it, you are looking for over 9V. All you need is a multimeter with a min/max button. Maybe you can use the android app Torque Pro to check for engine codes, all you need is a bluetooth adapter for a few pounds. 

[2912pwil]

Thanks all for your advice.

 

Mr T looked at it.  Parking Brake actuator ****ed, requires replacement(s).  £2k+.

 

Planning on buying a similar but new one.  Anyone interested in the old one as is?? As far as I know all otherwise OK other than tatty overall, aircon needs recharge.  ??  Still drives fine. 

 

Best regards

[avetoy]

15 hours ago, 2912pwil said:

Mr T looked at it.  Parking Brake actuator ****ed, requires replacement(s)

With all due respect to you and Mr T, maybe it would be good to get another opinion?

[Big_Al_100]

 

Could be you might just need a new brake caliper?

In the past I had a fault that looked like it pointed to the Park Brake Actuator but it ended up being that I had a brake caliper that started to gradually seize causing faults.

I would recommend jacking up car and see if you can turn the wheel through the handbrake when it is on, or get it checked on a rolling road. I was also able to watch the caliper spring not move the same as the other side indicating the brake caliper wasn't moving much.

The above faults may show the same as a faulty actuator so removing the caliper and seeing if it can be moved by hand, to check if it is seized, might be the only option to check.

 

[Konrad C]

First of all I am an Avensis owner with one of the earliest T27 Avensis. I can say through experience and others who have posted on this forum, the parking brake actuator is generally reliable. Most faults with the EPB caused by other parts or systems. The few faults that cause the actuator unit to fail is water getting into the unit pass the seals. I do know that seized calipers, incorrectly replaced rear brake pads, using the wrong software to calibrate the brakes, EGR faults, poor Battery, poor connections. I had one fault when the gear position sensor was not securely connected when the clutch was replaced. The point is that the EPB rarely goes wrong and proper inspection of the brakes and good diagnostics should be done before confirming the actuator is the true fault.  

[Guest]

I get this warning briefly from time to time on my 2018 Avensis T27. Even after it had the handbrake actuator replaced under warranty from Toyota.  In my case, it never actually impacts any function of the brake, just a scary / stress inducing little message as I'm taking off from traffic lights.  

The Battery is definitely a good shout. Reminds me of the Fiat's where when the voltage was weak, the first thing to go / be impacted was the power steering. Could it be similar to that here with weak batteries giving it a short incorrect reading that triggers the warning as mentioned? 

If you're looking at a £2k repair bill, 100% get a second opinion. Call me crazy, but I would even pay your local Toyota dealer for the diagnosis ONLY. And very important, don't give any indication or word of what other mechanics say. You will only know the issue is correct if two totally unaware mechanics / workshops give you the same list of repairs needed. 

Story on 'local mechanics everybody uses, trusts and can depend on'... (the value of second opinions) 

I caught a local mechanic out like this years ago. Fuel pump went in my old Panda. Ordered my own part online around £140 at the time. Mechanic told me it would be another £150 to fit it...  I was between school / uni at the time, broke and job seeking. This was far too much money, if I could save I was willing to call every car repairer in town.  First port of call was the Fiat dealer - for a benchmark.  They told me £35 (one hours labour). I knew that there was something up when a dealer would price cheaper than a mechanic. They told me there was a little hatch under the rear seat, four bolts, twist it, pull out new pump, drop new one in and two cables. Called the mechanic back and told him this, he said "no no, we've had it up, there is no hatch you need to drop the tank from below".  Liars. Absolute liars, they lie to your face even. Tell you you're wrong. 

If you're being told you have a £2k repair bill, please, please, please get other opinions. Don't share any info one mechanic tells you either, just the issue you're experiencing. One might come back and offer to fix it for much less. Don't let them exploit you, or play part roulette at your expense. 

Good luck and keep us updated. 

[Seb_90]

6 hours ago, SB1500 said:

I get this warning briefly from time to time on my 2018 Avensis T27. Even after it had the handbrake actuator replaced under warranty from Toyota.  In my case, it never actually impacts any function of the brake, just a scary / stress inducing little message as I'm taking off from traffic lights.  

The battery is definitely a good shout. Reminds me of the Fiat's where when the voltage was weak, the first thing to go / be impacted was the power steering. Could it be similar to that here with weak batteries giving it a short incorrect reading that triggers the warning as mentioned? 

If you're looking at a £2k repair bill, 100% get a second opinion. Call me crazy, but I would even pay your local Toyota dealer for the diagnosis ONLY. And very important, don't give any indication or word of what other mechanics say. You will only know the issue is correct if two totally unaware mechanics / workshops give you the same list of repairs needed. 

Story on 'local mechanics everybody uses, trusts and can depend on'... (the value of second opinions) 

I caught a local mechanic out like this years ago. Fuel pump went in my old Panda. Ordered my own part online around £140 at the time. Mechanic told me it would be another £150 to fit it...  I was between school / uni at the time, broke and job seeking. This was far too much money, if I could save I was willing to call every car repairer in town.  First port of call was the Fiat dealer - for a benchmark.  They told me £35 (one hours labour). I knew that there was something up when a dealer would price cheaper than a mechanic. They told me there was a little hatch under the rear seat, four bolts, twist it, pull out new pump, drop new one in and two cables. Called the mechanic back and told him this, he said "no no, we've had it up, there is no hatch you need to drop the tank from below".  Liars. Absolute liars, they lie to your face even. Tell you you're wrong. 

If you're being told you have a £2k repair bill, please, please, please get other opinions. Don't share any info one mechanic tells you either, just the issue you're experiencing. One might come back and offer to fix it for much less. Don't let them exploit you, or play part roulette at your expense. 

Good luck and keep us updated. 

I agree with you, I had a similar experience. 

Everyone is talking about local friendly trusty mechanics but I haven't found one yet...

Hence I am learning to do it all myself as much as I can. It's not about the money for me, it's about the principle.