How To Properly Use The Parking Brake ?!!

Hello everyone as many of you know im a new first time 4runner owner...and I think I might be using the parking brake with the parking gear incorrectly.whenever im going to park the vehicle,i usualy stop the vehicle apply the parking brake and switch the gear from drive to park.some say you must first stop the vehicle using the vehicle's brakes,then apply the parking and finally put the gear into park.while others say you first stop the vehicle,switch the gear from drive into neutral and apply the parking brake before finally switching the gear from neutral to park.its very confusing and I'm asking for help on clarification on this as I was told doing this incorrectly will shorten the lifespan of the transmission and we all know a transmission repair or replacement is an expensive job.....and by the way I don't have the owner's manual to look this up.my fellow 4runners please shed some light of knowledge here.many thanks

 

I think most people don't use the parking brake at all.

If you do, I think you are correct in engaging the parking brake first, and then shifting the transmission into Park. Especially if you're on a hill, this way the parking brake is taking the weight of the vehicle, and not the transmission.

 

This is correct.

OP the parking brake/transmission first thing only really matters when parking on an incline. What @Trail Runnah said, parking brake first, let vehicle settle on brake, then shift to park. This way the vehicle is resting on the brake, not the parking pawl mechanism within the transmission.

When parking on a flat surface, placing the vehicle into park is fine, the parking brake isn't needed, as long as the vehicle was assuredly put into park.

 

I ALWAYS set the parking brake. Because I am an old fart, it is a habit from decades ago. Also, because I often park my trucks near aircraft that I cannot afford to pay for repairs. Anyway, it is a good habit to get into because it is possible to break the pin that engages when you engage the transmission in park. But in my case, because I drove manual transmissions for so many years, it was a best practice.

 

This is me to a tee. Still drive a manual and one of the first things I did when I first started looking at new vehicles was to know where the parking brake was and how it engaged.

Personally, I like manual parking brakes over the electronic ones.

 

Neither of mine has the electric parking brake - but my boss has two of them along with several of our clients. I have often wondered how the brake releases when the battery is dead. And we all know that NEVER happens.

 

In the case of my SO's HR-V, it's either jump it, hook up a 12V source, or manually disengage the brake on both wheels. I don't know the procedure on that.

If you want another tidbit to be less happy about, Honda's complete shift-by-wire system in their ZF 9-speed midsizers. (those with the push-button shifter) If you need to shift to neutral without power, there's no more hidden button release, you'll need to pop the hood and have purchased a unique tool to poke at the transmission.

 

I also am really old-school and prefer the hand brake as opposed to the foot pedal.

I thought some manufacturers had a manual release in the dash or on the floor you tug when the battery dies...

 

Here's a link to a PDF file owner's manual, so now you have one, be sure to save it to your device!

https://assets.sia.toyota.com/publications/en/om-s/OM35A83U/pdf/OM35A83U.pdf

 

We don't need no stinkin' parking brake.

 

I love the parking brake.. always use it.

 

That would make sense. I have not looked into it because I don't have one. At least not yet.

 

I'm the same way. I'm old school. When I park my SloRunner, I always set the foot brake, even though I live in flat land country (AKA: North Texas). It's a habit I got into yeaaaaaaaaars ago and it's a habit that I think is good. Like...using your turn signal all the time and wearing a seat belt. You know, safety shit!

When I had my 21' Taco, I always pulled the e-brake on it. One of the main reasons I bought it was for that reason. It reminded me of the 80's trucks. After I sold the Taco and before I bought the SloRunner, I owned a 23' Sonata for about 2 months. It was a very nice car, but the 'nannies' on it drove me insane. The parking brake would set AUTOMATICALLY. Again, I live in flat land territory, so there really isn't a need. But if the Sonata detected the slightest incline it would set.

The worst part? I would get in the car, start it up and notice that the e-brake was set. I would pull the little lever to disengage the brake. If I did not have my foot on the brake and IMMEDIATELY shift into gear, the e-brake would turn back on.

I sold that car as fast as I could. I love how analog my 4Runner is.

 

+1. Once upon a time they used to teach this in drivers ed, along with emergency braking techniques and how to recover from spins. I guess we should be glad the still teach drivers ed at all....

Of course once upon a time car owners manuals explained how to adjust the valves.

 

is that on your bumper sticker....lol couldn't resist.

 

I don’t know if this screenshot helps. I guess I put it in park before applying the brake. Maybe I need to change that habit. Growing up in a hilly area, I’ve always used the parking brake. Drives my husband nuts.

 

This is generally the preferred way. However, the 4Runner's undersized in-hat parking brake is shitty and usually can't hold the vehicle on an incline, so you can shift into park in any order. The parking pawl in the transmission is small but has the mechanical advantage from gearing.

 

It's definitely a good habit to get into. We always used it in driver's Ed, but then my car's never had working parking brakes, so I got into the habit of NOT doing it.

It's good to do it in the Northeast just so it doesn't rust up. In my case I'm afraid it'll engage but not release. My buddy briefly worked at a garage that did inspections, he said they never touched the parking brake, too many cars got stuck in the garage when they wouldn't release.

 

If the parking brake doesn’t hold the vehicle on an incline, it’ll probably need to be adjusted. I had to get it done a couple times (shop error) on my Kia and demonstrated it on a slight incline before it got adjusted properly and held as it should both facing up and down the hill. Don’t think I’ve driven any vehicle where rolling on an incline with the parking brake applied is noted as acceptable. :/

 

^On most cars you can adjust the parking brake to hold a grade. If you did that on the 4Runner, the parking brake would be dragging in normal driving and causing excess heat buildup in the rotor hat.

 

So I been doing it wrong since I was 16?? I always come to a stop, keep foot on brake, put car into Park (foot still on brake), apply the parking brake, then finally take foot off of the brake. So I have been hurting transmissions all of these years?

With my process the car does NOT rock at all, and I always thought that that was the important part, not letting it rock. I always thought that it was the rocking into a final stop that was the part that hurts/stretches the parking paw. No??

 

This is the very first time ever that I've heard of a parking brake that was electronic instead of manual.

 

lol, I turn the engine off and then engage the parking brake...been doing that for three decades without a problem. Never even imagined that would be wrong but it's a habit I probably won't be changing anytime soon. I'll blame the fact that there is no "Park" on a manual.

 

That's the scenario I worry about.

 

The Outback has had electronic parking brake since at least 2010. Many, if not most, other vehicles, too.

 

I think almost every new model has the electronic version now so it's in all of our futures sooner or later.

 

It must be better, then. Must be...

 

lol, new is always better, isn't it?

 

You haven't looked inside a 4th gen Tacoma or 6th gen 4Runner?

Push-button start and electronic parking brake with manual transmission is an interesting combo in the Tacoma

 

Now, you see an electronic brake with a manual transmission makes no sense to me. Just have a hand brake for pete's sake...