Parking / emergency brake seized / stuck

Hi all - mine is absolutely trashed as well and going to take a look at it this afternoon, pull the drum off, clean everything out and check to see if anything is sticking. Mine's so bad that I'll know if its temporarily fixed or not. But - soon I'll just replace both cables. I've looked for a really good DIY video but have not found one for the 2nd gen tacoma double cab yet. Does anybody know of a great DIY video? I'll report back what I find although I'm not an expert in how the cable system works.

 

UPDATE - I found that the lower brake shoe tension spring had broken off and was sitting at the bottom of the drum. This didn't allow the bottom of the brake shoes to stay together or be connected with any tension and the brake shoes probably contacted the drum at an angle causing issues or sticking. Replaced the spring from a kit i bought at autozone for $22 and test drove it. All good now.

Thanks everybody!

 

Reviving a thread.

washed my truck on Friday. Parked it and used parking brake.

Monday morning, rear tight wheel stuck... hat to engage 4lo and rear locked and after 3 attempts it got unstuck after a Big Bang...

I drove the truck after (had to go to work) checked the parking brake and nothing unusual happened...

Should I open the drum and check? I am mechanical inclined but not a pro... the truck performed like nothing after the episode... no weird noises when braking, no grinding... nothing...

 

I would check if its easy for you to do so. Mine stuck a few times and I didn't check and then had to look what was happening and I found that the lower spring that pulls the brake shoes together had broken and probably messed some things up. It still isn't right and probably needs to be replaced completely. I'd check for sure.

 

Mine did the same. I just drove it. No issues since. I was a little concerned at first like you after the "Bang!" when it released. Now I drive after washing to dry the drum before parking and setting the brake.

 

The funny thing is that I drove it before parking it for the weekend... I guess I did not used the brakes enough to dry them.... I will try to open the drum to see if everything is alright..

 

had a chance to check it today and all looks where it should be..

I am new to drum brakes so let me ask any member here:

How thick are the brake pads from factory? Mine are like 3/16 thick now and I have 7300 miles on it.. i es expecting to see the brake pad a little bit thicker being so low on miles..

But again, drum brakes are a first for me..

 

Something like 60%+ of the braking is done w/ the front so they don't have to be as thick.

 

Whenever this has happened all I've ever done is kick the top of the wheel with the heel on my foot. Breaks loose every time. It's always one of the rear wheels and always after it's been washed and sat overnight.

 

good to know! Thanks!

 

Been dealing with this for 20 years with tacoma's. Sometimes it does it and other time's it doesn't. But kicking it works. lol

 

i have a gravel driveway and I dug a hole about 2 feet long trying to get it unstuck with the 4wd until I realized that I had the locker and that got it unstuck..

But definitely the kick is faster, easier and do no harm to the diff...

 

A great deal of this has to do with automatic transmissions people don't use the parking brake and when they do it locks up all of the parts that never get used. Shoot I apply mine on flat ground in the garage but when I need it to work it always does.

 

Mine does it even with parking brake applied every time it gets parked. Usually always after it's been washed and sits for a while.

 

I always use my parking brake. Now I just lube the rear brake drums. Works like a charm!

 

i've also had this happen numerous times on my '18 MT OR. first time was very low mileage, never been from freezing. Once was after washing. Once was likely from being in a hurry and a applying parking brake while rolling to a stop in driveway. Parking brake gets used every time/day out of habit.
I've never been able to get it released by rocking or pumping the brakes, but beating on the back side of the drum with a hammer/axe seems to work. Inside the drums looks like new. Dealership tech i spoke to once had no clue, towing it 300 miles to them was not an option. Weird problem.....

 

This has been happening to my 2019 offroad 4x4 ever since I got it...I havent used the emergency brake in the past couple months, and haven't had a problem. It would happen to me almost every day, and at times at the worst spots on trails. Had told them when I went to service but they just said to give it some time so the computer adjusts, and im just tired of it now. my next service is coming, and I'm going to tell them about it again.

 

Computer has 0 effects on this problem and won’t adjust to anything related to it

 

2015 parking brake was sticking. 57,000 miles on Pennsylvania roads.
Removed drums and lubricated where the parking brake cable comes into the drum.
Used spray White Lithium grease.
Lubricated where the shoes slide back and forth against the back plate (was a little rusty)
Lubricated under the truck (right below the parking bake pedal) at the cable pivot point.
That worked for me, and it works like new again.

 

In the manual Toyota warns about the parking brake freezing when it gets into subfreezing temps. Makes since as they can’t control the temperature.

But a parking brake corroding fast enough to make it stick overnight is something else again. This isn’t “normal”.

It’s a well documented potentially injurious manufacturing flaw.