Steps to Engage/Dis-engage Parking Brake

I am specifically interested in the 4Runner, as there is a lot of unclear information online.

When parking the car, is this the correct order?

1. Come to a stop (whether on a flat or downhill road).
2. Press the brake.
3. Move the lever to N.
4. Engage the parking brake.
5. Move the lever to P.

When starting the car to drive, is this the correct order?

1. Press the brake.
2. Start the car.
3. Move the lever to N.
4. Disengage the parking brake.
5. Move the lever to D.

Could you please confirm if these steps are accurate?

 

I've always come to a stop, foot on the brake, engage the parking brake and then put it into park. The reverse is start it up with foot on the brake, disengage the parking brake and then put it into drive.

 

I always set it with the foot brake down then shift into park.

 

^^ Same.


I come to a complete stop by stepping on the brake, then press the foot brake. Then I shift into park.

When I start the car, I press the foot brake and then shift into gear.

 

I do that, but I don't move it into N first. If you remove step 3 you'll be fine.

 

I use parking brake only if I park on steep incline, which happens maybe 2 times a year. I just put shifter to P, shut the engine and apply parking brake then.

 

The parking brake should be used to keep the vehicle from rolling when parked, but you also want the all of the vehicle’s weight on the parking brake and none of the weight on the parking pawl. After shifting into neutral and applying the parking brake, I also take my foot off the foot brake and then shift into park. When leaving, I’ll put the transmission in gear (engine running) before releasing the parking brake.

 

You’re overthinking it.

Whatever you want to do will work just fine, these aren't fragile vehicles.

 

^^^^

 

Also, if you ever have a primary brake failure, use can use the parking brake to slow down or stop.

 

It doesn't really matter. The 4Runner has a shitty parking brake design that typically can't hold the vehicle on a grade (i.e. between step 4 and 5 the vehicle will roll downhill). So all the vehicle weight is on the parking pawl, which does have the mechanical advantage from gearing. And if you engage the parking brake after a car wash or driving through deeper water, the parking brake shoes can flash rust against the rotor hat and seize, so it's better to leave it off in that situation, to avoid damaging the parking brake mechanism.

 

From the factory many of these come with parking/emergency brakes so poorly adjusted that they are absolutely useless. But, for what it’s worth, after carefully adjusting it, my parking brake has been working great for a very long time now…there is hope.

And as long as you use the parking brake everyday, even if it’s left in the rain, it doesn’t stick. Maybe it might stick if you leave the 4runner outside unused for days on end, or if things are really rusty?

As far as the OP’s question, just shift it into park, lift your foot off the brake slightly to unload the drivetrain tension from the park pawl, then step on the parking/emergency brake.

 

This is what I do:

1) shift into neutral with my foot on the brake pedal
2) press the parking brake down
3) lift my foot off the brake pedal so all the weight is on the parking brake
4) press the brake pedal again and shift into park

When starting back up, the procedure doesn't matter (to me).

 

Where do you guys come up with this craziness? Shifting into neutral when using the parking brake? WTF? Just push the brake pedal with your foot whenever you want and you really only need it on a super steep hill like a boat ramp. Even then it’s just an extra safety measure.

 

It’s crazier to not use the parking brake every time as a matter of habit! I don’t view it as an extra safety measure, it’s the primary way to independently hold the vehicle on a hill. If it can’t, it’s crazy not to fix it so it can.

So there!!!! Lol

 

lol I was thinking the same exact thing. It’s an old school parking brake.
These vehicles go off road, can take abuse like no other, but others make do these little steps and got me thinking like ??? Have you ever used a parking brake before lol

yeah shift to neutral, turn on your windshield wipers and roll down back window up and down before engaging parking brake. And don’t forget to tap you heels when you walk to our front door just to be sure that bitch holds on a 2 degree incline lol /end of Friday night rant

 

It’s not 1970. You don’t need to use a parking brake on an automatic transmission.

 

Lol, why?

 

I know I don't need to. But I do it out of habit. There's no harm in me doing it; but there could be harm if I don't.

 

The real question could be how many techs does it take to set a brake?

 

Why? Because the P on your shifter means park.

 

7

 

Where it really get confusing is how many techs does it take to unset a brake?

 

I do the fancy parking brake dance when I want to make sure I pushed the pedal deep enough. It will hold the vehicle on an incline towards the end of its travel but not before - maybe not on a steeper hill but it works - I just prefer to not have the pawl do all the work, especially if on a hill and parallel parked.

 

Hmm, I wonder what P meant on 70s automatics?

Yup, not only is there no harm in using it, but on cars with electrically actuated parking brakes, Toyota and other automakers think it’s important enough to apply the brake automatically every single time you put it in park.

The parking/emergency brake is there for redundancy in safety whenever you secure a vehicle before exiting. Actually, I think it’s best to view the parking brake as the primary method of securing the vehicle, and the park pawl as the redundant backup. For two reasons: using it as primary will reveal if it works appropriately (and regular use prevents it from seizing up). And secondly, you can be sure it will work as an emergency brake if ever needed.

With 4runners being used for off road/camping, while heavy, potentially on steep inclines, it makes even more sense to make sure the parking brake works and you that it’s used every time. Not sure I trust the pawl to hold the weight of a loaded 4runner if you ever needed to get out while on an incline, and I feel no desire to experiment. By the way, on steep inclines, the OP’s questions really comes into play, because the correct sequence/procedure will guarantee no weight on the pawl, as long as the brake is properly adjusted and actually holds the car on an incline (which is why it’s important to test it in neutral on a hill.. if it doesn’t hold, I don’t consider the parking brake to be working correctly).

I think it’s also best be honest with ourselves…making it a habit to always set the brake before exiting the vehicle may end up protecting us/others from our own mistakes. I keep thinking of the video with the jeep that went over the edge at black bear pass with a lady in the passenger seat. Supposedly the driver got out to help someone, and in his distraction to help, left it in neutral…no parking brake. It’s easy to blame someone like that for being stupid thinking “it can’t happen to me”…. The best way you can make sure it never happens is to be in the unbreakable habit of setting and confirming parking brake every single time you exit the vehicle!!!

 

You should chock your wheels every time you park too. You can never be too safe.

 

For those who think it’s a good idea to use the parking brake, either regularly or even occasionally, have a look at this excellent thread wherein @McSpazatron details his parking brake adjustment travails. Quixotic, dogged, and relentless, they are.

For those without the intestinal fortitude to read his harrowing account, I will briefly summarize:

• Many 4Runners are delivered with parking brakes having never been adjusted. Neither at the factory, nor at the port, nor at the dealership, in spite of the fact that a test of the parking brake is an item on the Pre-delivery Inspection form. If your 4Runner’s parking brake won’t hold the vehicle on a hill, remediate as follows:
• Before making any adjustments, perform a bedding-in procedure on the parking brake shoes.
• Back off the tension on the cable adjuster behind the side panel in the driver footwell so that no tension is on the cable.
• With the parking brake disengaged, the rear wheels off the ground, and the transmission in neutral, remove rear wheels and adjust the parking brake shoe clearance using the star adjusters.
• Replace the wheels and adjust the cable tension using a combination of the adjuster at the parking brake pedal and/or the second adjuster under the center console.
• After some period of use the it may be necessary to perform a second one-time cable adjustment because of cable stretch.

See the aforementioned thread for details

 

Read through the entire thread by @McSpazatron and came away with this: adjust the shoes first, then the cable if needed, either at the pedal, or the center console. Although, one contributor mentioned the cable adjustment wasn't needed, but I don't see why not.

Sound about right?

 

Agree with @Agent_Outside. Park the damn thing. Get out and walk away.