Truck would not move - felt like stuck parking brake

Friday after work I brought my truck through a touchless car wash, and then drove it 10 minutes back to my apartment where it remained parked outside until this afternoon. Today I got in, put it in first gear, and started to gently take off, and found I had to give it a bit more gas then usual to get going. The truck had been parked in snow, and temperatures have been above freezing during the day and below freezing at night here, so I figured the tires might have been frozen to the ground and/or the parking brake was frozen to the rotor (from the car wash.) With the little extra gas, the truck was slowly (1 mph?) rolling. Taking it easy because of the initial "stuck" feeling, I pressed in the clutch to coast onto the snow free driveway of the parking lot. Total distance maybe 15 feet.

Once off the snow, I let off the clutch to go, but the truck stopped and acted as though I had the parking brake engaged. I tried to hold the engine to 1200-1500 rpms (guesstimate) as I let out the clutch, but no movement. I shifted into reverse and tried going again, but the same thing. I gently rocked it in first and reverse a couple times thinking that if the brake were frozen or rusted to the rotor, that it would break free, but nothing doing. Next I left the shifter in neutral and stepped out the door to physically rock the truck, but it still wouldn't move. I then went to each wheel individually and rocked them, and they would rotate few degrees back and forth.

Next I got back in the truck and tried to give it a bit more gas, trying to hold the engine at 1500-1800 rpms as I let out the clutch. Again no movement, and I think I might have burnt the clutch a bit because I started to smell a hot metallic smell. At this point one of my neighbors came out, so I turned the truck off and got out to take to him. He asked if I'd been having any trouble w/ the transmission or any weird noises lately, and i told him no, that it seems to have been driving fine until just today. I hopped back in the truck to start it up so he could have a listen, and this time as I let out the clutch, there was a thunk from the front. I pressed the clutch back in and let off the brake, and suddenly the truck could roll in neutral again. The neighbor said that it was weird, suggested maybe the gearbox got jammed up a bit, and then went on his way. I was able to drive around the apartment complex in first and second gear without any more apparent problems.

Even though it seems to be operating normally now, I'm still a bit nervous about what happened in the first place. I think I'll take it by the dealership tomorrow after work to have them take a look. In the meantime, does anyone have any ideas about what happened, or has experienced something similar?

 

I've had that happen with previous vehicles, and the answer is don't wash your car when it's going to be freezing.

 

That is pretty weird, does sound like a brake was stuck or such. It was idling in neutral fine correct?

It's also possible the diff (or one of them if you were in 4x4) was frozen/locked up. Maybe need to change out the fluid? Still kinda weird.

 

I had the exact thing happen a couple months ago, the brakes seemed to be frozed to the rotors. Like one the previous posts said, I no longer take it through the car wash when it is below freezing out, it also caused by TPMS to trigger (sudden change in temp changed pressure).

 

I had my e-brake freeze shut after playing around in the snow last Dec...ice buildup on the undercarriage of the vehicle began to melt and run the next day (mid 40sish and sunny), wetting everything down, and then refreezing at night.

The truck is not my DD, so it commonly stays parked with the e-brake on for days at a time. I take it out when I need it or want to play (bad weather, buying/transporting something big, etc.)

Anyway, the roads were still semi-nasty that Monday when I had to head to work, got in the truck, went to go and it didn't *want* to go. Pumped the e-brake pedal on and off a few times and it disengaged. Was just frozen in place.

 

I had a 98 taco that I couldn't use the parking break on during the winter. Snow would jam up the cable mechanism pretty bad.

 

Agreed. I thought of that even before I got it washed, but we've had some heavy snow lately, and I wanted to get the salt off. I was hoping that since it was above freezing at the time that it would drip dry enough for it to not be a problem. In the future I think I'll get it washed on a 32+ weekend morning so it will have all day to dry.

Correct, it was idling fine in neutral. I haven't engaged the 4x4 since early last week.

Two things bother me about thinking it's the brakes. First is that I was able to move forward 15 feet when I first started. Although I suppose if just one was stuck, that maybe one wheel pushed me out while the other slid over the snow? Second is that the problem corrected itself with that thunk sound as I was letting out the clutch.

Rear diff might be a possibility. Do you think if one brake was frozen and I forced the truck forward, that the rear diff could have bound up? Then when I was letting out the clutch that final time it somehow freed itself up?

 

Smells like a recall.. lol

 

I washed mine a couple months ago and didn't drive it like I usually do and just backed it into the garage for the night. Next day when I tried to pull out thought my e-brake was not releasing at first then just gave it more gas and heard a tire being dragged on the slick garage floor. Put it in reverse and it seemed to free itself. Definitely does not freeze here in SoCal in the garage. I think it just was a new shoe that is still pretty tight rusting in place.
Next time I do that I won't set the brake so hard or at all.

 

When it's cold out and been wet from snow, rain, or washing, it is better to wait a day before using the parking brake if possible, to avoid it freezing. Had it happen on the first few vehicles I have owned, but now I leave the brake off in those situations.

 

Definately frozen e-barkes. Used to be very common in older cars. If you can...don't use the e-brake until you know it's good and dry.

 

Or just go out multiple times during the day and night(untill you sleep) and push your ebrake in and release it. Just keeping it moving should help to let the water freeze but not bind up your linkage.

 

What's troubling me about this is that you said the clunk came from the front. This tells me that whatever was holding your Tacoma back broke free and caused the clunk, in the front. Trouble is, your E brake isn't in the front.

Either you are mistaken where the sound actually came from and it was legitimately the E brake, or your front pads froze to your rotors. Anything worse than that and I can't make a suggestion over the internet. I would assume also that your wheels were turning slower than usual during your 15 foot drive as if it were dragging you should have been able to tell.

Next time this happens jack up your truck and check each wheel individually, and don't use your e brake when its mild during the day and cold at night.

Also you would need one hell of allot of water contamination to freeze your diff to the point that it wouldn't move - so unless you do stream crossings on your way to work each day and evening, I'd be a bit skeptical of that one.

 

On my old car, I had the front pads freeze to the rotors. The dealership washed it right before putting it out in the lot on a -20 day and by the time I picked it up, they were frozen good and solid. It sounded terrible when they finally let loose, but there was no damage.

As an aside, I always wash my vehicles in the winter and I've never had them freeze like that. I think the key is to drive it for a bit afterwards and make sure that the parts move and any that residual water/ice gets melted/burned off. Even in cold temps, the heat generated from the brakes will be enough to get rid of any water that could freeze up. The problem seems to occur when you don't get things moving and they just sit there. Then it can freeze. Oh, and I never use my e-brake in the winter unless I know that it's dry.

 

I experienced the same thing. I don't remember it being freezing though? I think I had washed it after 4x4ing in some particularly muddy terrain. I spent a fair amount of time hosing down the undercarriage, then the next day it was stuck. I eventually broke it loose in reverse. Is this happening on Automatics or just on Manuals? Mine is a manual.

 

This happened to me once about a year ago after washing the truck. I just jacked up the rear, determined it was the right rear drum that was frozen, and banged on the drum with a hammer. It broke free and I haven't had a problem since. I just make sure not to use the parking brake after washing the truck in the winter.

 

Drum brakes are more prone to this.

 

Check the emerg brake Cable itself.
on my last truck it was the cable that got rusted and binded, holding the emerg brake on. Once i replaced the cable, it worked fine.

 

I drove through a ford about a mile from my house yesterday and parked overnight. This morning the outside temp said 37 degrees. I had not set the emergency brake and just left the truck in gear overnight.

This morning I went to back out of my space and the truck seriously balked. It appeared to be dragging the front wheels. I tried engaging 4x4 both high and low gear options and all that happened was the read wheels dug up a pile of gravel and the front end of the vehicle let loose a terrible burning smell.

I tried again about a half hour later and no luck. The truck did move a little during these attempts and now is stuck cattywompus in a snowbank. The dealer opens in about a half hour--it looks like they're gonna need to tow this thing into the shop. How they're gonna get it onto a tow bed is beyond me with the wheels locked.

Seems weird that I got a 4 x 4 manual transmission truck that can't handle getting a little wet and muddy in temperatures above freezing. BTW the truck has less than 24K miles and has been perfectly dealer-maintained with no accidents and no rough treatment, and has never been lent out to anyone else to drive.

 

Please be sure to let us know what the dealer discovers.