Park brake sticking? Truck will not move after parked

Soo, I've encountered this problems a few times, after the truck has been parked for 8-12 hrs, disengage the park brake, shift into 1st(6M) and the truck will stall. It will not move, I've tried reving out around 2500-3000 RPM in first gear, I've tried engaging 4H even 4L, the truck will not move unless you aggressively break it free and this god awful thud is created and the truck jerks free. My first thoughts were the park bake was sticking, maybe the lingage for the releases is worn, but then I tried the same procedures without using the parking brake and got the same result. I live in western Canada, driving on some pretty muddy bush roads to work during the summer, and frozen/snow covered roads in the winter... has anyone had this experience?

My tacoma is a 2009 DBL Cab TRD Sport, it jsut started happening this fall. More importantly it started with some pretty drastic temperature changes throughout the day. I work 12 HR shift work and the last couple weeks in October, it would be 20C during the day and -5C/-10C at night for a couple weeks, and thats when the problem started.

I was driving through a creek on my way to work, around the mid point of a 40km trip. water level approx. 8-12"... thinking it was my parkbrake freezing over night, but it did do the same thing without as well.

Some help would be much appreciated thanks.
-matt

 

I'm in calgary too, and today my friend had issues with his parking brake freezing up on him. Try not to engage it one day. See what happens. Generally it is the parking brake sticking. Happened to me a lot last year.

 

Yup, I'm in Calgary, same thing happened just now. Cost me a day of work!! Lesson learned. I won't be using it in the winter anymore.

 

I think I read somewhere in the manual that if you are going to bee in wet/ snowy conditions and below freezing don't set the parking brake because it will freeze. I had mine freeze on me in wyoming because I drove through some slushy snow and the parked with the brake on. It froze up on me and I had to put in reverse and break the brake free.

I have the 5 spd 4 banger

 

i had the same problem when living in Fairbanks Ak. I found the brakedust and dust would absorb moisture and coat the pads and mounting assembly with crud that would bind up especially in exreme cold. cleaning the assembly inside the hub twice a year with a light brush and brake cleaner solved this problem. once in the spring and once in october. Hope this helps.

 

its happened to me on a number of different vehicles. its snow and ice. driving through a creek? 100% thats the cause. with enough water/snow t it can still stick with or without the parking brake.

first toyota truck i ever drove was the old farm beater, a 1982 4x4. rusty,but what a beautiful looking unit. on cold mornings that truck wouldnt even turn the front end, it would just push the front wheels around!

 

so it has nothing to do with freezing and has everything to do with water.
the shoe is sticking after getting wet,rust.if you take the shoes off and grese all contact points once or twice a year all you problems will go away.
BUT DO NOT try to move your truck if it is stuck you will break and bend tabs and backing plate. just a little maintenance will go a long way. the tacoma rear is still drum if they chang it to disc wow.

 

A properly lubricated and clean parking brake system can be used in the winter without hassle. What you all may want to consider is removing the drums and checking for one that the axle seal is not leaking, which gets the shoes wet with axle lube. This can cause severe sticking. Also, the pivot mechanism for the parking brake cable on the inside of the drum assembly can get brake dust built up on it. This makes it sticky when the temperatures are cold. You can easily remove it and clean it up, applying a small amount of dry graphite lubricant to the contact points. No more sticking parking brakes!

 

My truck is 5 months old and the Parking Brake stuck on me the other day. I live in Calgary but was leaving a friends one evening in Cochrane. Got stuck outside for 45 mins... i sat and waited giving it a very light push here and there and it broke free minutes before the tow truck showed up.

Driving with that on would be horrible, i now am very careful when i use the handbrake.


That being said, brand new truck what kind of maintenance could i have possibly missed

 

Nothing that you missed, since it is new. Regular use will help keep it in proper operating condition. I use my parking brake several times a day. (pretty much every time I park)

 

This happened to me yesterday. I washed the truck and it got down to 24 degrees overnight. My truck wouldn't even budge. Luckily it warmed up and the brake disengaged. I guess I won't be using the parking break during the winter.

 

I've had this problem before when it's really cold. My rear drum assembly is a little rusty, but components are well lubricated. I've noticed they freeze up after freezing rain or if it's just above freezing when I park, but drops below while it's sitting. The actual pads freeze in the engaged position. To get them unstuck I squirt a little room temperature water on the drums so it doesn't force anything that doesn't want to move... Now during the winter I don't engage the parking brake anymore, I just leave it in first.

 

I used it every day prior to the issue. As it was warm a few days ago i was using it daily again, then when on a hill it wouldn't hold. Small hill too.

Dealer time....

 

My e brake had been sticky lately, and today after some running around, and then backing out of a spot, my drivers side rear completely locked up. After limping to a safe spot, a kept trying to un lock it, and by finally stomping on the brake pedal, click it released.
Just took it in to the dealer, $1000 to replace left seal, pads, drum, diff. Fluid, and then next week the e cable.
It's minus 30 Celsius here, and I need my truck, today by 5, so I pay, when all along I thought it was just my cable. So I pay,,,
Thanks again Bama, spot on your diagnosis, I appreciate your insight on various threads, Cheers

 

Good to know, I got warranty so hoping they will cover it all. Going in for an oil change and such in a week or 2 so will bring it up then.

 

Found this today reading up on Tundra info and compared with the Tacoma one. Reminded me of this thread. Page 7 of the pdf (p.310 of the manual):

http://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/om/OM35869U/pdf/07omsour/2007/07tacoma/3.pdf

"Do not use your parking brake when there is a possibility it could freeze.

When parking, put the transmission into "P" (automatic) or into first or reverse (manual) and block the front wheels. Do not use the parking brake, or snow or water accumulated in and around the parking brake mechanism may freeze, making it hard to release."


I've always used the parking brake in the winter but I think I'll switch to the 1st-gear-only method.

 

This happens to me all the time in calgary when its anything bellow zero just pump your brake hard a couple times and you can feel it releasing

 

Thanks! Good to note, subconsciously i think that's what i did to get me out last time. Even though its summer weather, winter could hit this weekend... oh it is...lol

 

the joys of winter.

The real issue here is that their pads froze to the drums. Wet brakes, sat long enough to cool and freeze. Parking brake itself didn't freeze - just the brake pads. This can happen anytime the conditions are right - warm wet brakes + cold temps at any time.

granted dirty greasy systems are more likely to have this happen than others but any and all can when the conditions are ripe.

Try not to set your brakes for long periods of time in the winter when wet - wait till they dry or freeze. They dry real quick if you ride the brakes for a short distance before parking.

If you do set them when wet have a plan for how to release them.

Hot water would be nice, but unlikely to always have.
Pumping may work ... but not always.
Take a hint from truckers and use two hammers. Put one against the culprit drum and whack the first hammer with the second. Voila free brakes. Whacking a bitter cold frozen brake drum directly with the first hammer results in a broken drum. Been there, done that.


Hope it helps.

 

Thanks, any tips are appreciated. Sad to say weather in Calgary is exactly as you described. Temperature hops around like a Tacoma rock crawler!