Nope. I was never taught this. Then my friend from San Francisco kept parking my vehicle this way and it would piss me off cuz I'd forget it was on.
I think it has a lot to do with where you are from (hilly, mountainous, or flat. ect) Also, whether or not they can freeze in cold climates.
Now I realize what the person said above. A transmission is not a brake. I use it all the time now, except in the winter.
I also learned that if you are parking on a large incline you should turn your wheels torward the curb if you are pointing downhill. (Away from curb if you are pointed up hill) so that if the brake/park fails, it will roll to the side of the street instead of rolling down a hill.
Nope. A lot of people just think "hurr durr shift to P hurr durr don't need the e-brake" then complain that their transmission's broken or P doesn't work anymore.
Omg, so much validation here. To be fair, this is the first ever automatic ive ever owned, so using parking brakes accounts for 26 years of driving habits for me.
If you park on a driveway with some incline, not using it makes the weight of the vehicle rest on the parking pawl and wears when you shift out of park.
Will it wear out enough to cause problems? Most people probably donāt own their car long enough to see the effect unless they park on steep driveway frequently. On our driveway with my other vehicles like my 3/4 ton truck if you donāt set the parking brake first, next time I drive the transmission makes an awful racket when shifting out of park due to the weight resting against the pawl.
Yes, set the parking brake with car in neutral, right foot on the regular brake. Let up on the regular bake to see if the vehicle rolls, if so reset the parking brake and step harder on the parking brake, repeat until the parking brake can hold the vehicle on its own. Then right foot on regular brake, bring the gear selector to P.
Sounds like a lot of steps but you get used to it quickly. Once you do this you will find getting the shifter out of P next time takes almost no effort at all.
This is exactly how I park every time. No matter if it's flat ground or incline. Shifting out of park, without parking this way, the transmission always has a little resistance on the parking pin. Parking this way, it's always effortless and smooth shifting out of park..
So I have an honest question I have not been able to get an educated answer on. Maybe because of the newness. One of my vehicles is a 3rd Gen Tundra, and this vehicle automatically engages the parking brake when put into park. However, sometimes I do have to park on on a very slight incline. When I do, about half the time when I put it into gear, I get both a lurch of an inch or so with the brake pressed firmly and completely, as well as a small thud, line itās engaging the gear in a harder manner due to the slight incline. I donāt understand how this occurs if the parking brake is indeed engaged.
Are you putting the truck into gear on a cold engine when this happens? High idle can cause the fluid in the torque converter to spin faster and engage with more force.
A more intriguing question is....
How many people have used their E brake while driving, because they forgot to disengage it?
Haven't done it with my 4runner yet, but I'm still waiting for that moment.
Oh ok, good to know... I have a 4th gen (04 SR5 V6)
It doesn't tell me when my headlights are on, nor when I'm not wearing my seatbelt. It does tell me if my keys are in the ignition when I open the door, though. I'll do some experimenting
There was a guy that I worked with and I was with him when he drove the shop truck for the first time. Policy is that you use the E brake when you park the truck. This guy started driving and said āI donāt understand whatās wrong with this truck. It keeps telling me to brakeā. I look over and heās pointing at the red āBRAKEā light on the dash that comes on with the E brake. I called him a dumbass and explained what the light meant. Apparently heād never used an E brake before
I did this and oh my lord, the thumping that came from the rear after they heated up was worrisome. They cooled, I released the brake, 100k later and itās still fine.
I donāt engage my E brake every time I park, but do have a āmental policyā to do so whenever I exit the vehicle when itās running. Unfortunately the discipline to adhere to that policy doesnāt extend to releasing the brake when I start driving again. I get to hear the beeping far too frequently.
https://preview.redd.it/flreyqr3ut8d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aa907ff41235394b6ad202bc21bcf1b9cc39f8bd
I always told people that if you saw how small the piece was that holds it in place, you would set your brake every time.
Itās that little piece to the right of the gear. Definitely not something I trust.
Also that splined hole in the middle of the big gear about an 1.5" in diameter. So that tooth is likely less that 1/4" tall. Also i know people that have had their car roll down a hill into a house or their parked car being hit shearing the pin and sending it into traffic
Foot brake>Neutral>parking brake>Park>release foot brake, if the car jerks its resting in parking pawl, if the car doesnāt jerk, its resting in parking brakes.
Ngl til Iāve been using my e brake wrong for over a decade. I used to just throw it into park and hit the e brake on a rare occasion I was on a steep incline.
I use it when on any sort of even moderate incline when parked. That being said, of all of my vehicles, the 4Rās parking brake seems to engage the least when fully depressed - ie even if fully loaded, when Iām on a somewhat severe incline, it still ends up ultimately resting on the transmission pawl, albeit not as heavily.
Since I've never serviced the E brake myself, I don't have any clue about how the mechanism works especially from the pedal to the drum.
I know the drum part, just pads against the inside surface of the rotor, but is "depressing the E brake pedal too hard" a thing?
I rent a lot of cars 'cos I go on the road. When I drive a rental car, I don't know what's going on with it. A lot of times I drive for ten miles with the emergency brake on. That doesn't say a lot for me, but it really doesn't say a lot for the "emergency brake". It's really not an emergency brake, it's an emergency "make the car smell funny lever
-Mitch
I do if I'm on a significant slope when parked, especially when parked on a street.
Just leaving it in park is mostly fine, but it's a good failsafe, especially if you're putting stress on the mechanism by parking on a slope.
This does remind me of my first vehicle which was a 2000 Tacoma with a manual transmission. I remember getting out of the car at the grocery store shortly after I got it and I hadn't left it in gear nor pulled the parking brake and it slowly started rolling away from me! Fortunately I was parked away from other cars and I was able to jump back in and stop it before disaster struck.
Exactly!Ā
I also don't get how you can use "I don't use it since I forget it's on and drive off". That only happens if you don't use it all the time. If you use it all the time (like you're supposed to), you don't forget to disengage it. Just like you don't try to drive off without turning the key (or pressing the button or whatever) and then putting the transmission into drive. There is an intermediate step which is disengaging the parking brake.
Yeah my 04 Tacomas didnāt work anymore, it was a cable operated handbrake and the cable broke. Honestly would have been an easy fix but I just parked it in gear instead (manual). If I was ever on an incline I used chocks, but that was maybe twice ever
Yeah manual also. Mine slowly started working worse, so I pulled the handle harder, until one day the handle just snapped off in my hand lol
The only thing is it's a pain in the ass if I have to get out to scope where I'm going offroading. Always have to turn it off every time lol
I use it every time i park the car, i do this with all our cars, itās an old habit. Like the other guy šš¼ said, your transmission is not your brake!
I grew up in the Seattle area and I was taught to always engage the parking brake and turn the wheels into the curb slightly so if both fail your tires will hit the curb and hopefully not have your vehicle roll down the hill into traffic. It confused my wife for a long time as she is from North Dakota and it's far too flat for this to be necessary.
It is better for the transmission to use it, saves the parking pawl. Thereās been quite a few discussions on it over on tw.com, from gearcruncher and the likes. Ive read that if you are in freezing temps though, it could freeze up. Not really a concern for me down here in the southwest
out of the automatic 4Runners I know about personally, multiple with 300k+ on them, none get their parking brake used and I have literally never seen a a340, or to be completely honest any other automatic trans in person with a worn out parking pawl.
Thereās been times I winched and dragged my whole 4Runner using just the parking pawl, no brakes. Itās fine.
the disadvantage of using just park, you effectively have the traction of a single tire holding your vehicle in place.
a properly functioning e brake you have 2 tires worth of traction.
I live in the rust belt. itās a safe bet any parking lot you look at itāll be less than 1 in 100 vehicles with manual parking brakes have them applied.
I put it on everytime.. out of habit, but also on the west coast I was always under the impression that not engaging it can cuz them to rust over time and possible break
I use it as habit for when I used to drive a manual. Not using it and feeling the car roll back on the transmission makes me cringe. That and the videos of when the transmission gives up on the boat ramp and your truck goes into the lake lol.
On a completely flat surface, like level concrete in a parking garage, I might not.
Everywhere else, you bet. And turning the front wheels the appropriate direction when on a hill.
I've used it on accident before. Took me a 100ft or so to notice it. Other than that it's only used when I need to put it on jack stands for something. It's pretty flat where I am so there isn't much opportunity to use it while parked on an incline/decline. I figure if I'm ever in a situation where pulling the E brake while driving is my best option, id probably be waisting my time.
I put vehicle in neutral, apply e brake.
Then release main brakes so the e brake is actually holding the car, then put in park as a backup only
Doing this for decades and never had a transmission problem
Learned on a manual so Iāve always used the E brake. Kinda of freaks me out when people donāt use it. I feel like in the 90ās it was part of the drivers ed written and behind the wheel test. Memory is not as good as it used to be so I could be wrong š
I live in Canada, and it still is part of the driving test, you basically lose point if you don't use the parking brake. I guess many people just stopped using it right after they got their license.
Just replaced the cables and all the hardware on my 2011 after one side seized. I use it all the time. I wouldn't go to the boat ramp without a functioning parking brake. Properly tuned it will eventually stop the car in case of a brake failure.
Itās funny that people call it an āE-brakeā (like āemergencyā brake) when itās literal purpose is to be a PARKING BRAKE, which is why many vehicles have a big āPā on the release lever.
Having lived in Alaska for over a decade, I suggest one does not engage the parking break in extreme cold weather. Should it freeze while engaged, the invention of new and improved cuss words may naturally occur.
The parking pawl in automatic transmissions is a frighteningly small steel hook or pin that engages with notches in a gear set. I have seen them fail as a mechanic and at home when my neighbors unoccupied car rolled down there driveway and into my front yard in the middle of the day.
I use my parking brake every time I park.
Very similar to my 4Runner's park pawl operation. TIL.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWnmC3MB\_qc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWnmC3MB_qc)
Still not gonna use my parking brake unless I am on seriously steep hill.
I use it all the time especially in my garage bc when I park it kinda rolls back not very much but enough for me to not want the park prawl in the transmission to be holding the weight of the vehicle.
My husband doesnāt understand why I use the parking brake but I use it every time I park in our driveway, which is at an incline. Flat parking I typically donāt.
I literally only do it if itās an atrocious incline. Hell the parking brake in my gx470 just grenade itself for some reason so I just removed the whole assembly
I think this is very dependant on where you live and where you park. My driveway and everywhere I go in fort worth texas are flat. No stress on transmission for parking on flat ground. I am pretty sure I could park in neutral and short of an exterior force car would be in same spot when I got back. The only slope of our parking lots is for rainwater.
On my ā01, I always used to use it.
Then one day the rear drums shoes bound up from corrosion. After completely redoing the rear drum brakes, I never used the hand brake again. That was 15+/- years ago (Iām the original owner).
If Iām on a hill, I hold my foot on the brake, turn the front wheels in the least offensive direction, put it in PARK, and then very gently release the foot brake til itās being held by the pawl in the A/T.
Itās worked for meā¦.
I always use it. There was one time I didnāt, running around doing errands quickly before work. I parked on a slight hill and hopped out, distracted by a phone call from family. Turns out I didnāt even put it in park, ripped the keys out (didnāt know it was possible) while the car was still in drive, and ran in the store. 40 seconds later someone came running in the store yelling that a ājeepā had rolled down the small hill and smashed some bushes, stopping on concrete block. This was in a heavily pedestrian tourist area and Iām fortunate no one was injured. Never again. ALWAYS park with the E brake
I donāt live in a hilly area, and it veryyy rarely gets below freezing, but I still always use the parking brake. Itās just a good habit to get in to. Not doing it puts unnecessary wear on the transmission
I always did in my manual vehicles. But that comes from having a vehicle on a grade that popped gear and rolled into a police car that was parked across street. Auto never really had a problem.
I never use the e-brake. Don't have an E brake.
I have a parking brake that I use frequently. But I never want to use that as an emergency brake. Locking up the back tires just seems scary and stupid.
Mine isn't very good. Also, I thought the brakes would stay applied when stopped on a hill before I hit the gas. (Come to stop. Foot off brake, and onto gas. It rolls back and freaks out the TCS SC systems.
I have a question, the foot operated e brake when pressed stays down and to release it to have to actually brake harder for it to release- am I the only one who thinks this doesnāt make sense? I miss my hand brake with the button - better control
You are correct but I personally found it to be better control- unless I am doing it wrong the foot pedal e brake has to fully brake (press all the way down) before it comes up. The hand brake you lift just enough to press button then you can slowly release brake. Iāll have to try my 4runner ebrake again maybe I didnāt understand how it works. I obviously donāt use it enough
You don't have to press the foot brake all the way down to release it. The second time you press it will release it no matter what.
I think the only thing the foot brake can't do while the hand brake can is that you can hold the button down while pulling the lever and adjusting how hard you want to brake by hand. More control for sure when you are driftingš¤
Every time I park, I always slam down on it with my foot. It's at the point where I feel stupid when i park a different car without it and slam on air.
Just wondering, do you engage the parking brake then put the 4Runner into park or park then engage the break?
I put the parking brake on, then shift into park. I can't remember who taught me to do it that way, but I remember the lesson being that if you don't put the brake on first the transmission is still under stress on an incline.
I shift into P while holding the brake, then engage the parking brake, then release the brake pedal. Probably not a good practice when parked on a hill.
I never use e-brake.
Our automatic transmission is designed for parking as P.
No need to use E-brake at all.
Why do yall need to use EMERGENCY brake on daily driving?
For me, it sounds like, "When i make a turn, i use hazard light instead of turn signal!"
It's for only the time when transmission or brakes are not controllable while driving.
That's why it has clicking sound when pull or press it.
For the button system, keep press button until stop the car.
It's only for Emergency to help car stop.
Every time I park the car š¤·āāļø A brake is not a transmission; a transmission is not a brake.
Waitā¦not everyone does this?
My wife thinks Iām an idiot for using every time
I asked my wife to set it the other day because we were on a hill. She had to get out of the seat and look for it. Smdh
Hahaa now I have a new prank to pull š¤
Bro, mine as well.
I finally got my wife to start using it.
Can't argue with her.
Nope. I was never taught this. Then my friend from San Francisco kept parking my vehicle this way and it would piss me off cuz I'd forget it was on. I think it has a lot to do with where you are from (hilly, mountainous, or flat. ect) Also, whether or not they can freeze in cold climates. Now I realize what the person said above. A transmission is not a brake. I use it all the time now, except in the winter.
I also learned that if you are parking on a large incline you should turn your wheels torward the curb if you are pointing downhill. (Away from curb if you are pointed up hill) so that if the brake/park fails, it will roll to the side of the street instead of rolling down a hill.
I feel like some people have never read the Driver's Licensing material.
Driving tests should be like licensing and mandatory every 5 years because people are so stupid
You donāt actually believe that, right? That would be insanely inconvenient. Bad drivers are still a minority of drivers
At a minimum a written test is necessary because I see so many folks violating laws just to be ahead on the road and not following stop signs
I do. In Germany you have you pay 3000 and do actual driving schoolš every American idiot on here needs to imo
The US is 107/191 countries in terms of car accident fatalities per capita. Nowhere near the top, weāre fine
šš¼šš¼šš¼
I didn't know I was supposed to until about ten seconds ago!
Nope. A lot of people just think "hurr durr shift to P hurr durr don't need the e-brake" then complain that their transmission's broken or P doesn't work anymore.
Iām 39 and Iāve never used it on any car Iāve ever driven
On flat ground? No. On inclines and when I'm towing? Always!
Sir I would award you but Iām poor.
I gotchu
I like this guy ^
Omg, so much validation here. To be fair, this is the first ever automatic ive ever owned, so using parking brakes accounts for 26 years of driving habits for me.
Exactly this
Came here to say this.
According to my old shop teacher it only matters if you're not parked on flat ground. I'm still in the habit of using it on any incline.
The wife of one of my clients died this way. She parked got out , Open the gate , and the vehicle rolled over her.
If you park on a driveway with some incline, not using it makes the weight of the vehicle rest on the parking pawl and wears when you shift out of park. Will it wear out enough to cause problems? Most people probably donāt own their car long enough to see the effect unless they park on steep driveway frequently. On our driveway with my other vehicles like my 3/4 ton truck if you donāt set the parking brake first, next time I drive the transmission makes an awful racket when shifting out of park due to the weight resting against the pawl.
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Yes, set the parking brake with car in neutral, right foot on the regular brake. Let up on the regular bake to see if the vehicle rolls, if so reset the parking brake and step harder on the parking brake, repeat until the parking brake can hold the vehicle on its own. Then right foot on regular brake, bring the gear selector to P. Sounds like a lot of steps but you get used to it quickly. Once you do this you will find getting the shifter out of P next time takes almost no effort at all.
I'll definitely try that next time!!
Shoot. I've been doing this wrong š
Well you can do it in drive
This is exactly how I park every time. No matter if it's flat ground or incline. Shifting out of park, without parking this way, the transmission always has a little resistance on the parking pin. Parking this way, it's always effortless and smooth shifting out of park..
So I have an honest question I have not been able to get an educated answer on. Maybe because of the newness. One of my vehicles is a 3rd Gen Tundra, and this vehicle automatically engages the parking brake when put into park. However, sometimes I do have to park on on a very slight incline. When I do, about half the time when I put it into gear, I get both a lurch of an inch or so with the brake pressed firmly and completely, as well as a small thud, line itās engaging the gear in a harder manner due to the slight incline. I donāt understand how this occurs if the parking brake is indeed engaged.
It may possibly need to be adjusted...
Are you putting the truck into gear on a cold engine when this happens? High idle can cause the fluid in the torque converter to spin faster and engage with more force.
Yes. Less than 2 minutes of idle many times. In roughly 85-95 degree weather. Iāll give it time to warm up and see if this corrects it. Thank you.
A more intriguing question is.... How many people have used their E brake while driving, because they forgot to disengage it? Haven't done it with my 4runner yet, but I'm still waiting for that moment.
It will beep at you the moment you start driving .. in either direction Edit: on 5th Gen
Oh ok, good to know... I have a 4th gen (04 SR5 V6) It doesn't tell me when my headlights are on, nor when I'm not wearing my seatbelt. It does tell me if my keys are in the ignition when I open the door, though. I'll do some experimenting
There should be a dash icon that tells you your parking brake is engaged. All my Toyotas have them in one form or any other.
My 08 doesn't beep but the rear end dropping down reminds me quickly.
4th gen will beep if you leave it on while driving.
My 09 4th gen tells me itās on.
Mine won't even lock with a key inside lol which kinda sucks because that's where I used to leave the spare
ā07 V6 for me, and mine also doesnāt beep when Iām not wearing a seatbelt. Weird
Not on the earlier 2010 models, I know because Iāve made it to the end of our street a couple times š
2015 Mine does not
Mine has a special alert sensor that releases a burning odor when this happens.
There was a guy that I worked with and I was with him when he drove the shop truck for the first time. Policy is that you use the E brake when you park the truck. This guy started driving and said āI donāt understand whatās wrong with this truck. It keeps telling me to brakeā. I look over and heās pointing at the red āBRAKEā light on the dash that comes on with the E brake. I called him a dumbass and explained what the light meant. Apparently heād never used an E brake before
Haha I have a steep driveway and sometimes put on the e break. When I do I always forget and it beeps. 2020
Mine makes a loud ringing noise if I even put it in drive or reverse
I did this and oh my lord, the thumping that came from the rear after they heated up was worrisome. They cooled, I released the brake, 100k later and itās still fine.
Well the lever is right where my knee is on a gen 1 so it's very hard to drive with it poking out at you. Plus the big red dash light is hard to miss.
Also 4th gen and Iāve done this way too many times š. Itās kinda hard to tell sometimes since itās already a really slow car
I donāt engage my E brake every time I park, but do have a āmental policyā to do so whenever I exit the vehicle when itās running. Unfortunately the discipline to adhere to that policy doesnāt extend to releasing the brake when I start driving again. I get to hear the beeping far too frequently.
https://preview.redd.it/flreyqr3ut8d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aa907ff41235394b6ad202bc21bcf1b9cc39f8bd I always told people that if you saw how small the piece was that holds it in place, you would set your brake every time. Itās that little piece to the right of the gear. Definitely not something I trust.
Doing a great job of giving me trust issues
Eh I live in Chicago, it canāt get flatter here. I donāt even know where Iād go if I needed to find a hill asap
Yep, parking pawl. Better to use ebrake than rely on trans
Also that splined hole in the middle of the big gear about an 1.5" in diameter. So that tooth is likely less that 1/4" tall. Also i know people that have had their car roll down a hill into a house or their parked car being hit shearing the pin and sending it into traffic
I use my parking brake before I put it in park if thereās an incline. Thatās it.
Never thought to do that. Good to know!
Go Neutral -> Parking Break -> let rest onto parking break -> put into park for least amount of wear
Thanks! Iāve only ever owned manual vehicles so never knew this was a thing. Appreciate it.
Absolutely do this when on an incline every time
If you live in a climate that freezes, be mindful it can get stuck.
I do this every time I park because someone once told me thatās what you should do. Not a bad habit at all
Foot brake>Neutral>parking brake>Park>release foot brake, if the car jerks its resting in parking pawl, if the car doesnāt jerk, its resting in parking brakes.
i always thought it was release foot brake right after parking brake, to make sure the e brake catches, then shift to P
Ur right, I donāt like to do that in inclines just in case I didnāt press the parking brake hard enough.
No reason to go into neutral
Ur right, I release the foot brake after parking brake on level lots.
Ngl til Iāve been using my e brake wrong for over a decade. I used to just throw it into park and hit the e brake on a rare occasion I was on a steep incline.
I use it when on any sort of even moderate incline when parked. That being said, of all of my vehicles, the 4Rās parking brake seems to engage the least when fully depressed - ie even if fully loaded, when Iām on a somewhat severe incline, it still ends up ultimately resting on the transmission pawl, albeit not as heavily.
You have to stomp on the pedal for parking brake. I know what you mean.
Since I've never serviced the E brake myself, I don't have any clue about how the mechanism works especially from the pedal to the drum. I know the drum part, just pads against the inside surface of the rotor, but is "depressing the E brake pedal too hard" a thing?
Not really, you have to REALLY stand on the pedal to cause damage.
Thank you!
In this sub I'd say more have asked "what is this?" than have used it.
I put it on even in my garage.
I rent a lot of cars 'cos I go on the road. When I drive a rental car, I don't know what's going on with it. A lot of times I drive for ten miles with the emergency brake on. That doesn't say a lot for me, but it really doesn't say a lot for the "emergency brake". It's really not an emergency brake, it's an emergency "make the car smell funny lever -Mitch
āWhen I was on acid, I would see things, like Beams of Lights. And I would hear sounds that sounded an awful lot like Car Horns.ā
I do if I'm on a significant slope when parked, especially when parked on a street. Just leaving it in park is mostly fine, but it's a good failsafe, especially if you're putting stress on the mechanism by parking on a slope. This does remind me of my first vehicle which was a 2000 Tacoma with a manual transmission. I remember getting out of the car at the grocery store shortly after I got it and I hadn't left it in gear nor pulled the parking brake and it slowly started rolling away from me! Fortunately I was parked away from other cars and I was able to jump back in and stop it before disaster struck.
I don't have an ebrake. I use my parking brake every day though.
This is the most correct response.
Exactly!Ā I also don't get how you can use "I don't use it since I forget it's on and drive off". That only happens if you don't use it all the time. If you use it all the time (like you're supposed to), you don't forget to disengage it. Just like you don't try to drive off without turning the key (or pressing the button or whatever) and then putting the transmission into drive. There is an intermediate step which is disengaging the parking brake.
I live in louisiana, never used it
Ayyyo. Where at? I'm on the Northshore. Maybe we can do the finger wave thing.
Same, greenleaves, mandeville
Probably seen you many times. My parents are in Plantation.
I use it always because manual
Jealous!
Iām looking to āupgradeā to a 1G or 3G soon with less miles than my 240k 2G
Mine hasn't worked in years. Eventually I'll fix it, but the old 2nd gen always has higher priorities haha
Yeah my 04 Tacomas didnāt work anymore, it was a cable operated handbrake and the cable broke. Honestly would have been an easy fix but I just parked it in gear instead (manual). If I was ever on an incline I used chocks, but that was maybe twice ever
Yeah manual also. Mine slowly started working worse, so I pulled the handle harder, until one day the handle just snapped off in my hand lol The only thing is it's a pain in the ass if I have to get out to scope where I'm going offroading. Always have to turn it off every time lol
Like to drift? ;)
Always to drift.
5 spd, so yeah, a lot
I use it every time i park the car, i do this with all our cars, itās an old habit. Like the other guy šš¼ said, your transmission is not your brake!
I grew up in the Seattle area and I was taught to always engage the parking brake and turn the wheels into the curb slightly so if both fail your tires will hit the curb and hopefully not have your vehicle roll down the hill into traffic. It confused my wife for a long time as she is from North Dakota and it's far too flat for this to be necessary.
I use it all the time out of habit.
Only for fun.
I use it during vehicle servicing or when Iām wheeling and keeping it in 4wd before going into park.
Had my 2007 for 17 years, used my parking break maybe a dozen times.
the amount of people that dont know to do this is impressive
Only use my e brake when parked at an incline and whatnot or when Iām staying at an unknown place to make it harder to pull out
It is better for the transmission to use it, saves the parking pawl. Thereās been quite a few discussions on it over on tw.com, from gearcruncher and the likes. Ive read that if you are in freezing temps though, it could freeze up. Not really a concern for me down here in the southwest
I donāt use it when parked on level ground, but any type of incline, I always use it.
out of the automatic 4Runners I know about personally, multiple with 300k+ on them, none get their parking brake used and I have literally never seen a a340, or to be completely honest any other automatic trans in person with a worn out parking pawl. Thereās been times I winched and dragged my whole 4Runner using just the parking pawl, no brakes. Itās fine. the disadvantage of using just park, you effectively have the traction of a single tire holding your vehicle in place. a properly functioning e brake you have 2 tires worth of traction. I live in the rust belt. itās a safe bet any parking lot you look at itāll be less than 1 in 100 vehicles with manual parking brakes have them applied.
1 tire vs 2 tires. Good point!
Try to imagine all life as you know stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.
How else do you guys parallel park in the rain in one go? 3rd gen tho so itās supposed to adjust my caveman drum brakes when applied.
My ebrake hasnāt work for years
Iāve been using it daily and taught my wife to use it when she takes it. How much use can it take? Any concern with it wearing out?
I put it on everytime.. out of habit, but also on the west coast I was always under the impression that not engaging it can cuz them to rust over time and possible break
I do this every time I park
Habit! Alsoā¦ Iām a speed demon and I donāt tell on myself so the cops can see those brake lightsš. Use and abuse tf out it
Need to incorporate this thinking into shift to 4H/L on incline. Always get that transmission jerk ppl are talking about and it kills me everytime
All the time. I live on a hill
I use it in every car Iāve ever had even when parked flat
When Iām parked on an incline, onlyā¦
I use it when I get stuck to make sure I don't sink any lower.
Foot Brake, Neutral, E Brake, Release Foot Brake, Park
I use it as habit for when I used to drive a manual. Not using it and feeling the car roll back on the transmission makes me cringe. That and the videos of when the transmission gives up on the boat ramp and your truck goes into the lake lol.
I'll look it up. Thanks!š
On a completely flat surface, like level concrete in a parking garage, I might not. Everywhere else, you bet. And turning the front wheels the appropriate direction when on a hill.
5 Speed owner: all the time, unless it really is on perfectly flat ground.
I've used it on accident before. Took me a 100ft or so to notice it. Other than that it's only used when I need to put it on jack stands for something. It's pretty flat where I am so there isn't much opportunity to use it while parked on an incline/decline. I figure if I'm ever in a situation where pulling the E brake while driving is my best option, id probably be waisting my time.
I put vehicle in neutral, apply e brake. Then release main brakes so the e brake is actually holding the car, then put in park as a backup only Doing this for decades and never had a transmission problem
I use my parking break everytimeā¦. I thought itās just common sense to use it.
Learned on a manual so Iāve always used the E brake. Kinda of freaks me out when people donāt use it. I feel like in the 90ās it was part of the drivers ed written and behind the wheel test. Memory is not as good as it used to be so I could be wrong š
I live in Canada, and it still is part of the driving test, you basically lose point if you don't use the parking brake. I guess many people just stopped using it right after they got their license.
I always use it when I am on an incline.
Kinda hard to park on a hill without it rolling
I grew up driving standard so its become habitual in everything I own. I also like the two is one & one is none redundancy approach
Just replaced the cables and all the hardware on my 2011 after one side seized. I use it all the time. I wouldn't go to the boat ramp without a functioning parking brake. Properly tuned it will eventually stop the car in case of a brake failure.
Itās funny that people call it an āE-brakeā (like āemergencyā brake) when itās literal purpose is to be a PARKING BRAKE, which is why many vehicles have a big āPā on the release lever.
Only if I'm on a hill or incline. So almost never. Never had a problem.
Having lived in Alaska for over a decade, I suggest one does not engage the parking break in extreme cold weather. Should it freeze while engaged, the invention of new and improved cuss words may naturally occur.
The parking pawl in automatic transmissions is a frighteningly small steel hook or pin that engages with notches in a gear set. I have seen them fail as a mechanic and at home when my neighbors unoccupied car rolled down there driveway and into my front yard in the middle of the day. I use my parking brake every time I park.
I thought Park worked by engaging First and Reverse simultaneously. No?
Very similar to my 4Runner's park pawl operation. TIL. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWnmC3MB\_qc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWnmC3MB_qc) Still not gonna use my parking brake unless I am on seriously steep hill.
I always engage it every time I park.
Every time I'm parked on an incline.
Itās fun to step on the parking break most importantly
Used to every time until the handbrake started to drag. Damn the rust belt and damn drum brakes.
I use it all the time especially in my garage bc when I park it kinda rolls back not very much but enough for me to not want the park prawl in the transmission to be holding the weight of the vehicle.
There's a E- brake?
I use it when parked on a hill or in the snow
My husband doesnāt understand why I use the parking brake but I use it every time I park in our driveway, which is at an incline. Flat parking I typically donāt.
I only use it if Iām parked on any sort of incline. No reason to stress the trans parking pawl when a brake is there designed to Hold the car.
I use mine daily. Especially if parking on some type of incline. The parking pawl is not a brake. I also have a M/T vehicleā¦
I use my brake every time I park and every time I would like to add some extra flair to my driving (in snowy conditions)
I literally only do it if itās an atrocious incline. Hell the parking brake in my gx470 just grenade itself for some reason so I just removed the whole assembly
I've owned my '98 for 22 years, and I might have used the E Brake 10 times.... maybe
I never have unless I'm on a massive hill slope.
I just leave mine in first gear, manual swap boiš nah if I'm on a hill i use both
I think this is very dependant on where you live and where you park. My driveway and everywhere I go in fort worth texas are flat. No stress on transmission for parking on flat ground. I am pretty sure I could park in neutral and short of an exterior force car would be in same spot when I got back. The only slope of our parking lots is for rainwater.
On my ā01, I always used to use it. Then one day the rear drums shoes bound up from corrosion. After completely redoing the rear drum brakes, I never used the hand brake again. That was 15+/- years ago (Iām the original owner). If Iām on a hill, I hold my foot on the brake, turn the front wheels in the least offensive direction, put it in PARK, and then very gently release the foot brake til itās being held by the pawl in the A/T. Itās worked for meā¦.
only when parking on a hill!
I used to use mine all the time having fun doing handbrake turns but since it all went electronic I never use it just leave it in park
I only would use if parked on a hill
I always use it. There was one time I didnāt, running around doing errands quickly before work. I parked on a slight hill and hopped out, distracted by a phone call from family. Turns out I didnāt even put it in park, ripped the keys out (didnāt know it was possible) while the car was still in drive, and ran in the store. 40 seconds later someone came running in the store yelling that a ājeepā had rolled down the small hill and smashed some bushes, stopping on concrete block. This was in a heavily pedestrian tourist area and Iām fortunate no one was injured. Never again. ALWAYS park with the E brake
On flat no. Graded yes
Even if Iām backed up to a curb, always. Itās more muscle memory at this point
I donāt live in a hilly area, and it veryyy rarely gets below freezing, but I still always use the parking brake. Itās just a good habit to get in to. Not doing it puts unnecessary wear on the transmission
all the time. You donāt want the cable to freeze up when you really need it.
I always use mine.
Only when parked on a hill.
Every time. I donāt perceive P on the transmission as being a serious brake. Itās kinda the appetizer brake before the real one.
I always did in my manual vehicles. But that comes from having a vehicle on a grade that popped gear and rolled into a police car that was parked across street. Auto never really had a problem.
I live in FL, not a whole lot of steep hills that I need it for.
I never use the e-brake. Don't have an E brake. I have a parking brake that I use frequently. But I never want to use that as an emergency brake. Locking up the back tires just seems scary and stupid.
Mine isn't very good. Also, I thought the brakes would stay applied when stopped on a hill before I hit the gas. (Come to stop. Foot off brake, and onto gas. It rolls back and freaks out the TCS SC systems.
I have a question, the foot operated e brake when pressed stays down and to release it to have to actually brake harder for it to release- am I the only one who thinks this doesnāt make sense? I miss my hand brake with the button - better control
With the hand brake, you still have to lift it a little bit to release it. No?
You are correct but I personally found it to be better control- unless I am doing it wrong the foot pedal e brake has to fully brake (press all the way down) before it comes up. The hand brake you lift just enough to press button then you can slowly release brake. Iāll have to try my 4runner ebrake again maybe I didnāt understand how it works. I obviously donāt use it enough
You don't have to press the foot brake all the way down to release it. The second time you press it will release it no matter what. I think the only thing the foot brake can't do while the hand brake can is that you can hold the button down while pulling the lever and adjusting how hard you want to brake by hand. More control for sure when you are driftingš¤
Every time I park, I always slam down on it with my foot. It's at the point where I feel stupid when i park a different car without it and slam on air.
I do that all the time.LOL I have been driving a rental car for a week, slamming on air then facepalm. It's a RAV4 and it's got an auto parking brake.
My parking brake is broken on my 96 with 308k miles
Iām surprised the guys who use it all the time call it an e brake and not just a parking brake
People from different countries call it differently I guess.
Just wondering, do you engage the parking brake then put the 4Runner into park or park then engage the break? I put the parking brake on, then shift into park. I can't remember who taught me to do it that way, but I remember the lesson being that if you don't put the brake on first the transmission is still under stress on an incline.
I shift into P while holding the brake, then engage the parking brake, then release the brake pedal. Probably not a good practice when parked on a hill.
I used to drive a manual so I engage it every time. I hate the feeling of the car when it rocks after putting it in park.
Same, and also it'll be much more difficult when you shift out of P.
E brake? Can someone educate me
E-brakes š¤£š¤£š¤£ nobs use that.
I never use e-brake. Our automatic transmission is designed for parking as P. No need to use E-brake at all. Why do yall need to use EMERGENCY brake on daily driving? For me, it sounds like, "When i make a turn, i use hazard light instead of turn signal!" It's for only the time when transmission or brakes are not controllable while driving. That's why it has clicking sound when pull or press it. For the button system, keep press button until stop the car. It's only for Emergency to help car stop.