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Sporadic parking brake illumination

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by shocker, Jul 26, 2011.

  1. shocker

    shocker Junior Member

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    2004 Prius
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    About two weeks ago I noticed that my parking brake light was not illuminating when I enagaged the brake. Since then it sometimes comes on when I engage the brake but not always (most of the time it doesn't). I can't replicate the conditions and there doesn't appear to be a pattern of temp or time of day. Any ideas or similar experiences? It is an '04 with 146,000 miles.
     
    #1 shocker, Jul 26, 2011
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Two
    I suggest that you check the parking brake switch which is located near the top of the parking brake foot pedal assembly, as well as the wiring harness connector leading to it. Use an ohmmeter to test switch operation when the pedal is depressed vs. when it is released.

    I hope that you can find the problem there, as the alternative would be a problem with the skid control ECU recognizing that the parking brake switch is set and feeding that info via the Gateway ECU to the combination meter to illuminate the BRAKE LED.
     
    #2 Patrick Wong, Jul 26, 2011
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