Foot park brake or not - concerned about slight rocking after park button pushed and tranny damage

sas0611 · 03-28-2008, 10:14 PM

I've only had my prius a week but I notice that after putting the car into park with only the park button, the car will often move forward or backward a few inches until the transmission locks against the pawl. Is this somewhat stressful / abrupt motion bad for the transmission. I am careful to let my foot off regular brake slowly after pressing the park button but is still settles in to position a bit harder than I think is

I've never used the emergency park brake with any car unless it is manual transmission and really don't want to use it in my new prius. Inevitably in the beginning you forget to take it off and do some damage to your brakes.

Are most of you disciplined to use the foot emergency brake in your prius ?

Thanks in advance.

qbee42 · 03-28-2008, 10:30 PM

You won't damage your brakes with the foot brake. Unlike most cars, it's pretty hard to drive away with the brake on. Mostly you sit there with a dumb look on your face, thinking "Why won't it move?"

As for hurting the transmission, the Prius transmission is always engaged, so there is no issue about stripping gears or the like. What you feel, as you surmised, is the parking pawl coming into position. Ease your foot off the brake slowly and it will lessen the shock load on the parking pawl. Either way, it's pretty tough, so you don't need to worry about it. Besides, the ECU won't let you engage the parking pawl if the vehicle is moving too fast.

Tom

patsparks · 03-28-2008, 11:26 PM

My handbook says not to use the park brake in freezing conditions so the park pawl must be strong enough in Toyota's eyes to hold the car. They do however recommend chocking the wheel as a precaution.

BTW it isn't an emergency brake, it is a parking brake. I wouldn't want to count on a parking brake in an emergency.

alanh · 03-28-2008, 11:29 PM

As I found out

the Prius will start beeping at you if you attempt to drive off with the parking brake on.

David Beale · 03-29-2008, 11:41 AM

I don't think you will damage the "parking pawl" in the transmission. It's not a pawl from the pictures I've seen posted. It's a gear. The only sliding gear in the "transmission".

I always use the "parking brake". It's never frozen or corroded on. I -have- tried to drive away with it engaged (only once so far), and it did complain loudly ("what IS Pearl upset about, why is she beeping at me?!"). To err is human. To correct your error before it results in bad things is smart.

jayman · 03-29-2008, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sas0611

I've only had my prius a week but I notice that after putting the car into park with only the park button, the car will often move forward or backward a few inches until the transmission locks against the pawl. Is this somewhat stressful / abrupt motion bad for the transmission.

Every automatic transmission vehicle I have ever driven has done that, some worse than others. When I was with the Utah Guard, their hummers would rock back and forth until you felt seasickness coming on. There is some serious drivetrain slop in those things!

richard schumacher · 03-29-2008, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patsparks

BTW it isn't an emergency brake, it is a parking brake. I wouldn't want to count on a parking brake in an emergency.

Ditto that! Safety calls for redundancy, so always use the parking brake.

patsparks · 03-29-2008, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Beale

I don't think you will damage the "parking pawl" in the transmission. It's not a pawl from the pictures I've seen posted. It's a gear. The only sliding gear in the "transmission".

I always use the "parking brake". It's never frozen or corroded on. I -have- tried to drive away with it engaged (only once so far), and it did complain loudly ("what IS Pearl upset about, why is she beeping at me?!"). To err is human. To correct your error before it results in bad things is smart.

I've never had a parking brake sieze due to freezing but the handbook says it can happen.

BlackPri08 · 03-30-2008, 02:21 AM

Setting the park brake also is how the rear "shoe" brakes are kept in adjustment, so it's a good idea to use it regularly.

Sufferin' Prius Envy · 03-30-2008, 05:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by richard schumacher

Ditto that! Safety calls for redundancy, so always use the parking brake.

So, you may as well chock your tires too. Everyone knows that triple redundancy is even safer.

I NEVER hit the parking brake on flat ground. I also, to some, live dangerously by not hitting the 'park' button prior to powering the Prius off.

I will gladly take the added 0.0000001% risk that my car will spontaneously roll away on flat ground after the parking pawl breaks if it means I can make a quicker getaway for the 0.00001% chance that a carjacker is approaching my vehicle just after I park.

. . . Or maybe the 0.000003% chance that I see an airplane falling out of the sky and coming right at me in my parked car.

. . . Or maybe the 0.000006% chance that _ _ _ _ _.

03-28-2008, 10:14 PM	#1
sas0611 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Bucks County, PA Posts: 115 My Car: 2008 Prius Package: #6 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 4	Foot park brake or not - concerned about slight rocking after park button pushed and tranny damage I've only had my prius a week but I notice that after putting the car into park with only the park button, the car will often move forward or backward a few inches until the transmission locks against the pawl. Is this somewhat stressful / abrupt motion bad for the transmission. I am careful to let my foot off regular brake slowly after pressing the park button but is still settles in to position a bit harder than I think is I've never used the emergency park brake with any car unless it is manual transmission and really don't want to use it in my new prius. Inevitably in the beginning you forget to take it off and do some damage to your brakes. Are most of you disciplined to use the foot emergency brake in your prius ? Thanks in advance.

03-28-2008, 10:30 PM	#2
qbee42 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Northern Michigan Posts: 5,701 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #7 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 6	Re: Foot park brake or not - concerned about slight rocking after park button pushed and tranny dama You won't damage your brakes with the foot brake. Unlike most cars, it's pretty hard to drive away with the brake on. Mostly you sit there with a dumb look on your face, thinking "Why won't it move?" As for hurting the transmission, the Prius transmission is always engaged, so there is no issue about stripping gears or the like. What you feel, as you surmised, is the parking pawl coming into position. Ease your foot off the brake slowly and it will lessen the shock load on the parking pawl. Either way, it's pretty tough, so you don't need to worry about it. Besides, the ECU won't let you engage the parking pawl if the vehicle is moving too fast. Tom __________________ *Black* 2006 package #7 Northern Michigan

03-28-2008, 11:26 PM	#3
patsparks Uneducated bird-brain Aussie Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Adelaide South Australia Posts: 4,924 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: Base Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 17	Re: Foot park brake or not - concerned about slight rocking after park button pushed and tranny dama My handbook says not to use the park brake in freezing conditions so the park pawl must be strong enough in Toyota's eyes to hold the car. They do however recommend chocking the wheel as a precaution. BTW it isn't an emergency brake, it is a parking brake. I wouldn't want to count on a parking brake in an emergency. Last edited by patsparks; 03-28-2008 at 11:29 PM. Reason: emergency parking

03-28-2008, 11:29 PM	#4
alanh Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 633 My Car: 2007 Prius Package: #5 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Re: Foot park brake or not - concerned about slight rocking after park button pushed and tranny dama As I found out the Prius will start beeping at you if you attempt to drive off with the parking brake on.

03-29-2008, 11:41 AM	#5
David Beale Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Edmonton Alberta Posts: 1,556 My Car: 2007 Prius Package: B Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Re: Foot park brake or not - concerned about slight rocking after park button pushed and tranny dama I don't think you will damage the "parking pawl" in the transmission. It's not a pawl from the pictures I've seen posted. It's a gear. The only sliding gear in the "transmission". I always use the "parking brake". It's never frozen or corroded on. I -have- tried to drive away with it engaged (only once so far), and it did complain loudly ("what IS Pearl upset about, why is she beeping at me?!"). To err is human. To correct your error before it results in bad things is smart.

03-30-2008, 02:21 AM	#9
BlackPri08 Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: central Indiana Posts: 50 My Car: 2008 Prius Package: #4 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Re: Foot park brake or not - concerned about slight rocking after park button pushed and tranny dama Setting the park brake also is how the rear "shoe" brakes are kept in adjustment, so it's a good idea to use it regularly.