Make Sure To Hook Up the Parking Brake Wire!!

Ok I am gonna add my little piece of advice to all the devoted TW members! I just installed a Kenwood DDX-6019 into my 08' Taco, I purchased the unit from Crutchfield for around $600. All instructions, wiring, and dash kit included ( the kit included was black, so I ordered a silver one from Ebay). Anyway I have put in several head units into vehicles in my past and this install was pretty simple. This is my only advice to anyone who is installing a touchscreen dvd player into their Taco.... I noticed that the Kenwood had a green wire that stated for it to be hooked to the parking brake switch. Well I did not think this was an important step because it did not state in the instructions that it was required to be connected to the parking brake switch for the unit to work. Well I connected all the other connections and put the dash back together, the player worked great, the sound was great and it looked great in the truck ( I will post pics later). The only glitch was that when you played a dvd no picture was present, just sound. Comes to find out the parking brake wire has to be connected before the dvd player will show video. Before anyone slams me about driving and watching movies let me say this, I bought the player so that my wife and daughter can watch movies on those long road trips. I am not going to risk wrecking and hurting someone or my family due to watching a flick. So if you are installing this type of head unit make sure to connect the parking brake wire, now here is how I made my dvd player work while driving. On the Kenwood units the parking brake wire is light green, if you want video anytime connect this wire to a GROUND (negative). Make sure not to connect this wire to a hot (positive) or you will fry your new dvd player. Now be aware that in most states it is illegal to have video playing where the driver can watch. ( I think that most police officers have better things to do than pull people over for a movie playing in the front, but I could be wrong ) I hope this post helps some of you out before you have to pull your head unit back out and hook the wire up like I had to!

 

Where did you ground yours?

 

I think a lot of people would do this except it is beneficial to add a switch of some sort as well.

 

The switch is usually due to a quick method or one sans relay. Some units require it not be a constant ground, so the switch method works like putting on your brake - but so does a relay.


On the pioneer Avic units it is different for different series. The one for the Z110-120 series is by far the easiest method I have ran into.

 

anyone got pics of the install to the ground and too the e brake

 

Thanks for the information. I figured too that not connecting the green wire was a non-issue. But after the fact. I grounded mine, and the videos now work.

 

Anyone know which wire it would be on the harness for the parking brake?

 

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