Toyota Prius Parking brake won't engage Inspection at your home or office.

Our certified mobile mechanics come to you 7 days a week between 7 AM and 9 PM.

Estimate price near me

Service Location

Customer Ratings

(1,216)

How A Diagnostic Works

Instantly book a certified mobile mechanic to come to you

Mechanic diagnoses the problem and quotes necessary repairs

Your vehicle is ready to go

Fair, upfront & transparent pricing for all services

Our certified mobile mechanics can come to you now.

Customer Ratings

(1,216)

Parking brake won't engage Inspection Service

How much does a Parking brake won't engage Inspection cost?

On average, the cost for a Toyota Prius Parking brake won't engage Inspection is $95 with $0 for parts and $95 for labor. Prices may vary depending on your location.

CarServiceEstimateShop/Dealer Price
2007 Toyota PriusL4-1.5L HybridService typeParking brake won't engage InspectionEstimate$114.99Shop/Dealer Price$124.99 - $132.49
2001 Toyota PriusL4-1.5L HybridService typeParking brake won't engage InspectionEstimate$94.99Shop/Dealer Price$105.01 - $112.52
2010 Toyota PriusL4-1.8L HybridService typeParking brake won't engage InspectionEstimate$94.99Shop/Dealer Price$105.01 - $112.52
2022 Toyota PriusL4-1.8L HybridService typeParking brake won't engage InspectionEstimate$94.99Shop/Dealer Price$104.99 - $112.48
2004 Toyota PriusL4-1.5L HybridService typeParking brake won't engage InspectionEstimate$94.99Shop/Dealer Price$105.02 - $112.55
2003 Toyota PriusL4-1.5L HybridService typeParking brake won't engage InspectionEstimate$94.99Shop/Dealer Price$105.01 - $112.52
2014 Toyota PriusL4-1.8L HybridService typeParking brake won't engage InspectionEstimate$99.99Shop/Dealer Price$109.87 - $117.28
2020 Toyota PriusL4-1.8L HybridService typeParking brake won't engage InspectionEstimate$99.99Shop/Dealer Price$110.24 - $117.94
Show example Toyota Prius Parking brake won't engage Inspection prices

Engaging your parking brake ensures that your car doesn’t roll when you park on a hill. This is important in a wide variety of situations, whether you’re parking at home and your driveway is angled, or you’re backing down a boat ramp to unload in the lake. If your parking brake won’t engage, then you’re relying solely on the transmission’s park setting to hold the vehicle in place, which is never a good thing. It could slip, and it could also cause damage to the transmission.

How this system works:

Most parking brakes are relatively simple affairs – really nothing more than a cable that attaches to the handle that sits between your front seats (or the parking brake pedal under the dash in some cars). Pulling the handle pulls the cable, which engages the parking brake assembly and pushes a pair of brake shoes into contact with the inside of the drum.

However, despite that simplicity, there are several things that could go wrong with your parking brake. The most common issue is simply that you need to adjust your brake shoes. However, there could be a problem with the cable (corrosion or wear, for instance), or there could be a problem with the handle itself, although this is rare.

Common reasons for this to happen:

  • Need to Adjust Brake Shoes: The single most common reason your parking brake won’t engage is a need to adjust the brake shoes. This requires removing the rear wheels, removing the drum, and then adjusting the wheel to spread the shoes apart. Both sides should be adjusted.

  • Cable Is Detached: Another potential reason here is that the cable may have come loose from one or both sides. The cable must attach to both rear brakes for your parking brake to work (if it attaches to just one side, the brake will engage but feel loose, and the car will roll on a hill).

  • Cable Is Loose at the Handle: A much less common problem is that the nut where the cable attaches under the handle is loose. If this happens, there will be slack in the cable, and pulling the handle will not engage the parking brake. This is most common after inexpert parking brake repairs.

  • Rusted Bell Crank: The bell crank is really nothing more than a lever that sits near the front of the parking brake assembly. These are prone to rusting, particularly if you don’t use your parking brake very often. If this is the case, your parking brake will not engage.

What to expect:

One of our experienced mobile mechanics will come to your home or office and inspect the entire parking brake system, from the handle to the bell crank, the cabling and the attachment points at the rear. The mechanic will also provide you with a full report that details the scope and cost of any necessary parts and repairs.

How it's done:

The mechanic will inspect all aspects of your parking brake, beginning with the handle or pedal in the cabin. The mechanic will also inspect the cables, the shoe condition and adjustment and other aspects of your parking brake system. It may be necessary to remove one or both rear wheels, as well as the brake drums (if your car has drum brakes). If your car has disc brakes, the caliper and rotor may need to be removed to inspect the parking brake shoes, which are located inside the built-in drum on the rotor itself.

How important is this service?

If your parking brake will not engage, it will not prevent you from driving, but it does make parking on an incline risky. It’s possible that the transmission will slip out of park, and the vehicle will roll down the slope. One of our mechanics can fully assess your parking brake and advise you on what is needed to repair it.

Fast and easy service at your home or office

Backed by 12-month, 12.000-mile guarantee


Meet some of our expert Toyota mechanics

Real customer reviews from Toyota owners like you.

Excellent Rating

(1,216)

Rating Summary
1,138
45
6
8
19
1,138
45
6
8
19

Ben

41 years of experience
1410 reviews
Ben
41 years of experience
Toyota Prius L4-1.8L Hybrid - Car is making a noise - Houston, Texas
Even came early and diagnosed the problem right away. I'm so relieved.

David

27 years of experience
182 reviews
David
27 years of experience
Toyota Prius L4-1.5L Hybrid - Oil Change - San Francisco, California
David was awesome about communicating with me (letting me know he was running late and throughout the actual service) and making the experience as easy as possible for me. He picked up my car key from outside my apartment, worked on the car, and brought the key right back to me. His report was comprehensive, and I feel confident in his work. The experience was great, and I'd recommend YourMechanic to friends and family.

Rafael

27 years of experience
74 reviews
Rafael
27 years of experience
Toyota Prius L4-1.8L Hybrid - Oil Change - Hercules, California
Friendly nice person.

Cary

27 years of experience
92 reviews
Cary
27 years of experience
Toyota Prius L4-1.5L Hybrid - Headlight Bulb Replacement (Driver Side Low Beam) - Raleigh, North Carolina
Cary was awesome, he was very knowledgeable and didn't give up on my repair. Will definitely recommend to friends and family, and trust him with any future needs!!!

Excellent Rating

(1,216)

Rating Summary
1,138
45
6
8
19
1,138
45
6
8
19
Number of Toyota Prius services completed
13376+
services done by our mechanics
TOTAL NUMBER OF EXPERT Toyota MECHANICS
1600+
experts on our platform

Recent articles & questions

How to Replace a Lost or Stolen Car Title in Wyoming
Are Are you familiar with what a car title is? It is the proof that you are the owner of your vehicle. So why is this so important? Well if you have any plans of selling your car in the...
P0055 OBD-II Trouble Code: Heater Circuit Resistance (Bank 1, Sensor 3)
P0055 P0055 code definition Heater Circuit Resistance (Bank 1, Sensor 3) What the P0055 code means When this code is set it means that the Engine Control Module (ECM) has detected a problem with the amount of resistance in the...
How to Sleep Comfortably in Your Car
Whether Whether you are traveling alone and need to pull over for a quick rest or camping out in a rural area, knowing how to properly make camp in your car is an invaluable skill. Sleeping in your car, in...

My car can't change gears on my automatic Audi

This may be a sign of a faulty transmission control solenoid. As you may know, automatic transmissions use pressurized hydraulic fluid to change gears. Every time a gear change is required, the car's computer activates a transmission solenoid, which directs...

Do you have to lift the engine to change oil pan gasket in 2007 Chevy impala and how many hours would it take to replace

I believe on these engines the engine mounts will have to be removed and the engine will have to be jacked up slightly. Since a Jack and block of wood cannot be used on the bottom because the oil pan...

Car shakes when accelerating

At 200 thousand miles it could be just about anything. You would have to hit a speed bump pretty hard to produce a result like that, but if your problem is related to the speed bump, it could be that...

How can we help?

Our service team is available 7 days a week, Monday - Friday from 6 AM to 5 PM PST, Saturday - Sunday 7 AM - 4 PM PST.

1 (844) 997-3624 · hi@yourmechanic.com