Parking brake in the 2010 Prius

I have always made it a habit of setting the parking brake, in addition to pressing the Park button to engage the transmission parking pawl. The latter action is not strictly necessary, since the transmission lock actuator will engage automatically when the car is powered down. It indicates on the speedometer display.
Relying on the transmission parking pawl alone puts a strain on the transmission unless you are parked on flat ground. While I'm sure Toyota has designed the parking pawl mechanism to withstand any the strain generated by it's use alone on severe slopes, I much prefer to lock the rear wheels via the foot parking brake, simply to relieve unnecessary internal strain on the transmission. Starting the Prius requires your foot on the main brake, which automatically disengages the transmission parking pawl.

 

I just purchased my 2010 Prius IV last Saturday, and I am really enjoying this website!

In the owners manual I was surprised to see the following advice in a section titled "Winter Driving Tips" (Page 262):

"Park the vehicle and push the 'P' position switch without setting the parking brake. The parking brake may freeze up, preventing it from being released. If necessary block the wheels to prevent inadvertent sliding or creeping."

Have any of you ever encountered wintertime parking brake problems in your Prius? Do you refrain from using the emergency brake below 32F/0C?

Thanks for your input!

 

I never use it, though the car does rock like mad. Our driveway is on an incline. I just hate the idea of spending extra time getting in and out, and yes I am that ridiculous about lost time. Also, I burned up a pair of brakes once when too stupid to realize parking brake was on on an vehicle that we never used it on and my wife for some reason engaged it.

 

I don't get it? Why doesn't the Prius automatically apply parking brake as soon as the gear is changed to parking?

I think the Nissan Leaf does this. Compared to the Leaf, the Prius is missing A LOT of technological advancements.

 

The Prius parking brake is a purely mechanical cable operation of the rear brakes. Having the parking brake set automatically would require another actuator at additional cost.

I've never known any car that automatically set the parking brake. Is it true that some of them do? Just to be clear, we are talking about the parking brake, not the parking pawl.

Tom

 

In ANY car, apply the parking brake first, then shift to park. Takes all the weight of the car off the transmission and puts it onto the rear brakes. Then the transmission is a backup to the parking brake.

 

Here one would be holding the brake pedal while switching off causing a current draw from the weak 12V. To avoid this as also any other loads going onto the 12V, I divide step 2 above into:

a. Press the "P" button
b. Take the foot off the brake pedal so the rear brake lights are turned off (REMEMBER: you already engaged the foot operated parking brake in step 1 above so the car shouldn't move when you take your foot off the brake pedal).
c. Turn off all other electricals such as the lights (including head lights), A/C, music, etc.
d. Roll up all the windows as needed.
e. Then switch the car off by pressing the Start button.

 

I've never had a problem with the parking brake freezing on Pearl S. Bruiser (an FJ Cruiser), on the other hand, has big problems with the parking brake freezing. It releases with a very loud "bang" when the vehicle is put in "R" and the throttle depressed (when it's frozen). So I don't use the parking brake on the FJ in the garage. But I still do on the street.

One thing not mentioned in this thread is that it's a requirement in law that you apply the parking brake when you park the car. "Park the car" means stop and turn off the engine.

 

If one doesn't use the parking brake for some reason, that's fine. The point of my earlier post was to get all the loads as possible (including the rear brake lights) off of the little 12V battery before switching the car off, which is only possible if the "P" button is pressed and the brake pedal is released before switching the system off.

Such care for the 12V aids in the continued good health of my 12V I think, considering my commute is only 3.7 miles each way.

 

From some of the reading I've done on this site, I thought that the 12v only activated the electronics and every thing else run off the main battery through the inverter. If not then why does the Prius have an inverter?

 

Switching off the car/system means the HV battery is "disconnected" and put to bed. All further electrical needs such as the head-lights, stereo, etc., are then supplied by the little 12V, which is how you can run it down (but not the asleep HV battery) by leaving a dome light on overnight, for example.

 

Got it. Thanks

 

my only complaint about the parking brake is that I am used to the parking brake being a hand brake as opposed to a foot brake. That's hardly a big deal,though. When I was 17 years old, my father taught me to always apply the parking brake when parking. I see no harm in doing this, and a risk if I do not. I am further conditioned by having driven in the hills of San Francisco and Berkeley/Oakland with a manual shift car. My advice is to always apply the parking brake.

 

All well and good, except the car itself leaves the headlamps on after I turn it off. Neither that or the brake lights on for 10 sec. max. is going to make -ANY- difference to the life of the 12V battery. But if you think it's better, go for it.

 

I would prefer a hand operated parking brake with a lever by the driver's seat that could be used as an emergency brake in the event of a brake failure. The little foot pedal that Toyota uses could get you in trouble if you tried to use it to stop the car on the highway (which it is not designed for). I think it might be possible to apply it and then not be able to release it in a timely manner without fumbling around looking for the little pedal.

What I would like is an emergency brake such as used on some of the older European sports cars which was useful for hand brake turns during rallies. The button on the end of the handle was not used to release the brake, it was used to hold it on for parking. To release it you just pulled it up and the button clicked off, if you did not use the button you could pull the handle up or let it go down to apply the rear brakes as needed.

 

This baby would still be alive if the parking brake were applied at the time of the incident.

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