Auris Handbrake Problems

[Chris Aaaaa]

Hi, i am a toyota technician i also have a relative who has had the same problem as you.

After looking into the problem and speaking with toyota technical.

We found out two problems with the handbrake.

1) They have changed the handbrake mechanism for the auris which provides less clamping force.

By this i mean the handbrake is applied directly to the disc rather than through the usual drum/shoe fashion.

2) Toyota released a technical bulletin to staff saying that some customers would find it more difficult to apply the

handbrake than others. This is due to people who have their seats further formard cannot pull the handbrake up as high

due to the angle you have to operate it.

Was there any news of this in the end, I just bought my wife a 57 Auris auto, we live in the fenlands where handbrakes are optional, but we went up to derbyshire, hill starts with the MM box meant roll back and the handbrake virtually went behind my wife when pulled up [backward] far enough to stop the roll back.

Chris

[Chris Aaaaa]

Hi, i am a toyota technician i also have a relative who has had the same problem as you.

After looking into the problem and speaking with toyota technical.

We found out two problems with the handbrake.

1) They have changed the handbrake mechanism for the auris which provides less clamping force.

By this i mean the handbrake is applied directly to the disc rather than through the usual drum/shoe fashion.

2) Toyota released a technical bulletin to staff saying that some customers would find it more difficult to apply the

handbrake than others. This is due to people who have their seats further formard cannot pull the handbrake up as high

due to the angle you have to operate it.

Was there any news of this in the end, I just bought my wife a 57 Auris auto, we live in the fenlands where handbrakes are optional, but we went up to derbyshire, hill starts with the MM box meant roll back and the handbrake virtually went behind my wife when pulled up [backward] far enough to stop the roll back.

Chris

It seems Toyota do have a kit for this (new cables, clamp and handle), has anyone had any experience of this?

Chris

[alison k]

I was delighted to collect my 2 yr old 1.6 automatic Toyota Auris last night from the Plymouth dealership 45 minutes drive away. I proudly parked it on our steep drive. My husband arrived home and we admired all round it and then went inside. Five minutes later our neighbours arrived to say that it had rolled down our drive and pushed open our gate damaging the bumper. They saw that the handbrake was pulled on. I found this forum and went to the dealership who firstly said they'd never heard of the problem and the car had passed its MOT that day and was therefore fine. They retested today and again said I had a really effective handbrake and that the fault was rectified before my car was built and so they were not liable for the damage. They have agreed to try to replicate what happened last night. The damage is one thing, more importantly I don't trust my new car which as a loyal Toyota customer for many years is really upsetting. Any advice for me?

[PSYCHO-MANIAC]

Dear simbasr

If your really a toyota technician I would greatly appreciate it if you could tell me how to adjust the handbrake on my sixth generation celica.

When I bought the car the handbrake came right to till it was poking you in the eye but I could still turn the back wheels by hand. So I bought new shoe's (they are the right one's), but I could not get the drum over them. Eventualy I got the drums on with a hammer, tightend up the cable in the cabin to 3 clicks, its really tight but has no effect.

The cable is not broken & with the drums off the mechenism seems to work. I've hours testing different positions on the star wheel with no luck.

Any info would be greatly appretiated.

[McSafe]

I was delighted to collect my 2 yr old 1.6 automatic Toyota Auris last night from the Plymouth dealership 45 minutes drive away. I proudly parked it on our steep drive. My husband arrived home and we admired all round it and then went inside. Five minutes later our neighbours arrived to say that it had rolled down our drive and pushed open our gate damaging the bumper. They saw that the handbrake was pulled on. I found this forum and went to the dealership who firstly said they'd never heard of the problem and the car had passed its MOT that day and was therefore fine. They retested today and again said I had a really effective handbrake and that the fault was rectified before my car was built and so they were not liable for the damage. They have agreed to try to replicate what happened last night. The damage is one thing, more importantly I don't trust my new car which as a loyal Toyota customer for many years is really upsetting. Any advice for me?

I have had my Auris for 15 months and the same thing has happened to me. Ever since having the car i have had issues which i will not go into. I parked my car in the same car parking space I have had for 4 years, done the same routine as always and gone into my office for a normal days work. After 20 minutes i hear an alarm going off in the car park "saying best not be my car" in a joking manner to my colleague. First glance my car had disappeared but at a second glance my car was back bumper to back bumper with another car. The incline is extremely minor and the distance was 7.5m from car to car. I looked at my colleague and said "s*** i must of not put the handbrake on", both ran outside and both tried pushing the car thinking that the handbrake wasn't on, was impossible to move the car. I checked the handbrake and it was fully up, so i had to start the car and take off the handbrake and drive the car into my car parking spot. My colleague said put in first gear so it doesn't happen again. The car hadn't crept into the other car it has rolled because of the damage on the other car was more than just a scratch, so it wasn't a soft bump or shall i say crept bump for Toyota to say the handbrake was partially on. The car was static for 20 mins as 2 other colleagues passed my car and said it hadn't moved. On the industrial estate i work on i have 2 cctv camera's which show the incident. I cannot accept Toyota telling me its not there fault as an owner of a respectable car dealership i do not expect my car to be floating away when the sole purpose on a handbrake is to stop a car. Anyone with the same problem followed this up further?

[PumpkinSteve]

Car manuals state that when parked on an incline you should put the car in gear, plus if you've been driving for a while then the discs/ drum can be hot and expand slightly, then when you park and the car cools down the brakes will contract causing the handbrake to become loose. Even if this is a known issue, IMO there is really no excuse for not putting a car in gear when parked on a hill, it's basic knowledge.

[McSafe]

Car manuals state that when parked on an incline you should put the car in gear, plus if you've been driving for a while then the discs/ drum can be hot and expand slightly, then when you park and the car cools down the brakes will contract causing the handbrake to become loose. Even if this is a known issue, IMO there is really no excuse for not putting a car in gear when parked on a hill, it's basic knowledge.

With a 3 degree incline and parking exactly the same way for 15 months this has never happened. I leave home in the mornings very early to miss the city traffic , once I am on the A1 i drive between 60-70 to avoid getting to work to early and this takes 20 mins and slow driving through the city before hand. I can only see the discs heating up if, one I drove ridiculously fast in that space or time or simply driving for a much longer period.

This does not make sense which is why I have taken it further Toyota. Trust me I now park in gear to avoid this happening again although this still doesn't excuse the sole reason for the handbrakes purpose.

[Brunobonkers]

We to have had problems with our hand break, the car was parked on the hill out side our home when our neighbour came round to tell us, she

had just seen our car rolling down the road hitting a neighbours wall, leaving extensive damage. The car had been parked 20 minutes before it rolled

down the road. we live on a 45 degree hill the hand break had to be engaged to even have stayed there for 1 minet let alone 20 minutes. The car when into

toyota and they say there is nothing wrong but it seams we are not the only one with this problem. This was just after 3 20 on a week day and the school at the bottom of the hill had all passed by, which was only by luck no one was hurt. It's about time the car manufactores look at this problem and more people

need to be highlighting it to them so the problem can be rectified and acknowleged the fault.

[FROSTYBALLS]

I remember not long after I started work, the typist's husband (who had a company Austin Princess - he was on the sales team at Austin/Rover) had an instance where he had parked on his sloping drive without putting the car into gear. After about 20 minutes, the car had rolled down his drive and hit an oncoming vehicle. This must have been 35 years ago.

It was an issue then - and it is still an issue because people don't put their cars into gear when parked.

Disc brakes don't have to be visually hot, for them to contract after application, and for the handbrake's hold to weaken.

Although my Auris manual doesn't mention putting the car into gear at the handbrake section, it is good practice.

[adamc260]

I always leave my car in gear whether flat or hilly surface... just naturally do it now

[27901591]

Any ideas on how to tight the handbrake on the auris, can't seem to to find the nut anywhere near under the handbrake cover???