Toyota Avensis Epb Reset
Christain Cobb
Some might have read my other post that I had my clutch replaced, and soon after, there was a beep, warning lights appeared with the message displayed 'Check Parking Brake System'. I manage to reset the system and all was well. The car was fine for the rest of the day.
The next day, after about 15 minutes on the road, the same alerts appeared. I was just driving. When I got to my destination. I repeated the jumper wire fix, but the cautions are not clearing and every time I start the car, there is a Beep and 'Check Parking Brake System' appears. The auto release does not work, so I have to pull the EPB button. Applying the parking brake has always been normal. Car rolls easily when the brakes are released, and on the motorway, I hardly need any gas, using lots of lift off the throttle.
I will look at the rear brakes (the disc/pads were changed over a year ago), the connections to the clutch switch and throttle switch. The car starts with the clutch pressed as normal, but I will test to see if it starts without touching the clutch pedal - point to switch failure. The throttle works fine, but I will read up on that. There could be a switch that is not working. I will check the under bonnet connections. The gear change indicator works, cruise control works.
Yesterday I happened to check the service record for my vehicle in my MyToyota account and there was an entry dated 17 Sept 2015 "Customer reports check parking brake system warning". My car was registered on 31 March 2015 and the warning would have been reported by the previous owner as I bought the car in January 2017. I haven't had any problems with the EPB but it shows that there were (are?) issues with it even in later versions of Konrad's vehicle. In my case less than 6 months from new!
Was looking at potentially getting a new avensis estate and test drove a 16 plate one at the weekend to give me an idea of what they were like. The one I was expecting to drive wasn't available due to a 'fault' the one I drove (16 plate - 12,000miles) came up with an error message saying to 'check parking brake system' half way through our test drive.
I'm sure many people get used to it but the position of the switch and the whirring noise when applied (just waiting to go wrong) was enough to put me off the car - the 1.6 diesel I drove was also extremely unrefined - more so than any diesel I've driven for the last 15 years. Was expecting to love the car due to equipment levels, space and comfort but came away less than impressed and decided to stick with my auris tourer.
So it turns out that the Gear position sensor had not been reconnected properly, so it fell off. Also note the hanging cable support. The garage (not the one who did the clutch) has given me some replacement bolts, which I will refit after sending this post.
I think my Avensis has the exact same issue that you are describing. I want to try your solution but I'm a bit confused about what the pictures are showing? Can we see the loose gear position sensor in the pictures?
My fault was caused by the mechanic who change the clutch, not securing the connector to to the gear position sensor properly. So unless similar work has been done, the connector should be firmly fixed and secured in place. The fault was properly diagnosed before any dismantling was done.
Recently I changed the rear brake pads, and mistakenly used my Launch Creader to reset the parking brakes. All it did was delete the calibrations leaving the car with the "check parking brake system" message plus the cautions and warnings, and no auto release. I then got my diagnostic netbook and got codes C1336 and C1346, but the software could not clear them. I got Techstream and that fixed the system.
Another cause of the Parking brake fault can be a seized piston in the rear caliper. A friend has just this very fault and is changing the caliper. Also the cables can seize or break.
It seems that the actual EPB unit is okay so long as water does not get in, so avoid deep puddles! It is expensive to fix, and it's best to eliminate the other causes before laying blame at the EPB unit.
Hi,
I had my gear box and clutch replaced, and got the "Check parking brake system" the day after I got the car back. That's why I'm suspecting it's the same issue that you had, plus the system itself is working fine without any issues (auto release, EPB button etc). I'm no expert on cars however so I find it difficult to locate the switch.. Do you suggest taking the car to a Toyota dealership to verify the error code before checking the gear position sensor?
Cheers, Per
Good pro level diagnostics like Techstream should confirm the actual problem. my friend who is an auto electrician used something else, and it pinpointed the actual fault. Since you have had recent transmission work done, it would good to check the connection.
here are a few pictures of where to look.
Thanks to Per, when I went to take new photos of the gearbox, I noticed how oily it was compared a couple of years ago.
First to remove the air filter housing. Unplug the MAF sensor, and unclip the cable from the upper housing. Use a 10mm socket or cross head screwdriver to remove the intake pipe.
No gear position sensor as far as the eye can see!
After some searching I found it a bit further to the left and down, below the grey cable: (you can see the attachment point lit up in the bottom part of the picture).
Per, I am glad to have helped. But, at the same time I am a bit shocked that something like this has happened. In both cases, I assumed the mechanics must have rushed the job and did not check or remember every connection. It's a good job this was external or it would be another strip down job!
I always try to post as much if and pictures as possible, in the event that somebody may have a similar issue in the future.
I have the exact same problem. Although my case is such that after a while it goes away by engaging and disengaging the handbreak and turning the engine on/off. The problem with me is that when this happens, the accelerator pedal disengages and the car is dead in the water with the engine running which can be potentially dangerous (e.g. when overtaking). I went through the whole process shown above but I couldn't find any loose items. However my setup seemed a bit different. The only thing I could spot as problematic is that in the location shown above where oil had accumulated, I instead had major collection of leaves and thick spherical woody seeds ( half inch -1 cm in diameter). I cleaned the whole area with a vacuum and I am hoping that it was some leaves or seeds that were messing something.
You need to get proper diagnostic done to find out what is happening! From the photos, it looks like you have had rodents nesting there. It's possible wires could have been chewed. The diagnostics will help, plus a visual check of the cabling.
When you put everything back together, double check the connections, especially to the throttle body and MAF sensor. Also make sure the MAF sensor is clean, using MAF sensor spray. Don't touch the delicate wires with anything!
Here are links that may be related:-
I changed the rear caliper on my 2010 Avensis T4. The 'Check Parking Brake' warning is coming each time I use the EPB. If I turn off the ignition and re turn it on, it will clear the code and allow use of the EPB again, but only once. When putting the EPB on, the sound coming from the rear seems ok but when releasing the EPB, noise seems to continue longer than usual. I tried putting the old calliper (which has a small leak) back and the EPB seem stop work fine.
The calibration can be done using Techstream and Delphi software and USB to OBD cables. Don't use some scanners like my Launch which does 'reset parking brake'. Beware, reset parking brake only removes the zero point calibration of the clutch pedal and g-force sensor. I had to download Techstream to fix the problem using my mini VCI cable.
You really need to get it code read - there are so many interlinked systems/sensors in modern cars that a fault can can show up as a warning for something that isn't immediately connected. Getting it code read hopefully should nail down exactly what the real fault is. Yours sounds like it may be linked to the actuator which is an expensive part to replace.
Well done Robert. I have always said that the EPB unit though not perfect, most issues caused are external and a lot cheaper too! A below Battery is another one. I replaced my Battery last year with an Exide Premium that copes with low usage, big capacity and quick charge. With the current situation, a good Battery is necessary.
Anyway another positive outcome.
So out with the PicoScope and time to look at some relationships between both upstream oxygen sensors and the mass airflow meter. These are 1 volt zirconia types and there are 4 in total. Two upstream and two downstream. The MAF is a Denso type.
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