Taco parking brake.....

Always, all my life, AT,MT. It’s the way I was raised, and that’s it’s intended use.

Funny a guy I know with an MT never used his parking brake though his wife kept telling him to use it as their driveway has a very slight incline. Well just last week he was parked in a parking lot with a slight incline, he came out of the store and there was his car rolled and crashed against another car. Bet he uses it from now on, pretty sad when your wife who doesn’t drive the car has more sense than you the driver of said vehicle.

https://www.firestonecompleteautocare.com/blog/brakes/when-to-use-parking-brake/#

Also in some locations it’s the law.
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/driver-ticketed-for-not-using-parking-brake/1958539/

 

Always always always. What everyone else said. It keeps everything moving / lubricated (especially great at inspection time). It keeps your drum brakes adjusted. It's safe. Takes stress off your tranny. Car doesn't rockback and forth. One more thing a potential thief has to figure out. I love that my wife's car (Lexus GS350) has an automatic parking brake that engages itself.

 

Above freezing and not out of the car wash, almost all the time. Foot on the brake pedal, yank the lever, and put into park. Using it helps keep the rear drums automatically adjusted correctly.

 

I only set the parking brake when parking on a slope. I use it in various other situations such as during maintenance etc. Since my truck has an AT I don't always set it, I always used it on all my previous vehicles that had manual transmissions.

 

When I had my 2nd gen I never used it because it was a foot brake. But now in my 3rd gen I use it all the time since it’s a hand brake.

The key thing is to make sure you engage the hand brake before you let go of your foot brake. Otherwise there really isn’t a point, since your parking pawl in your transmission would be bearing the weight of the vehicle instead of the parking brake.

 

I think the 1st gen's (I know the Toyota Truck that preceded the Tacoma did) had this parking brake:

 

Second Gen as well; when my son got his 2009 Tacoma 6MT he said, "Hey Dad, the parking brake is exactly like the EA-18 Growler I used to taxi around when I was in the Navy."

 

Using it all the time on an AT is unnecessary and can lead to premature failure of the parking brake.

Happened to my VW. I only use it on inclines now

 

The Tacoma does not have a "Parking Brake" per-se, it utilizes the regular rear brake shoes in the drums; there is absolutely no way using a parking brake on a Tacoma will lead to the premature failure.

 

Always, no matter the incline, and my truck is an automatic. However, when it's wet out I won't use it as the shoes get stuck to the drum something fierce. Almost had to put it in 4LO to get them unlocked the one time...

 

My 21’ is my first AT so the parking brake is habit.

Also the slight roll when it’s in park w/o the break feels so unsettling. My wife never uses hers and gets so annoyed when she parks and I reach over to set the parking brake for her.

 

Any slight incline I do even with an Auto. I have seen too many videos of trucks rolling in park, especially at boat ramps : ) Doesn't take much to overcome the park transmission mechanism.

 

when i drove manuals, always.
in ATs, only on hills and mostly in the way others have described to relieve tension on the pawl.

 

I generally use my Parking Brake, but to differnet degrees. On a flat surface, I pull the handle up slightly. On an incline, I pull the handle up more.

I try to avoid using the Parking Brake when the temp is below freezing.

 

Man, this is the one thing I really liked about the 2nd Gen I test drove, but came home with my 2017 instead.

 

I always use mine an I drive manual. I have never once used it on an automatic unless I was on an incline. As an insurance broker I can tell you that vehicles roll and hit things much more than you think they would.

 

Old school parking brakes were foot operated... Anyways, as far as parking brakes are concerned Use it (Frequently) or Loose it !

 

AT here.

I always use mine, no matter the slope. Even on the slightest incline, when you take your foot off the brake, you can feel the truck roll and get caught by the pawl.

 

It does if you use the correct order:
1) Apply service brake firmly
2) Apply parking brake
3) Put in park
4) Release service brake
Now the brake is holding the vehicle, the parking pawl is there for backup if needed.

I apply the parking brake every time I park with both manuals and automatics.
Living in the rust belt it is an issue of "use it or lose it", by using it every day it always works.

Welcome to the forum by the way

 

Always. My other car is a manual, and it is just habit to pull the handle up when I park.