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ABS Light On and Parking Brake Unable to Disengage

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Nile West, Feb 4, 2019.

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  1. Nile West

    Nile West New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2019
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    Location:
    Bremerton, WA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    One
    Tried driving to work this morning, and my Prius locked up on me. A couple minutes into the trip, the ABS light came on and the parking brake engaged. I managed to get the car off the road, thankfully, but nothing I do is able to clear the ABS indication or disengage the parking brake.

    I've found plenty of explanations for ABS, but nothing has been able to explain why the parking brake suddenly engaged. The operator inside the cabin still has its full range of motion and moves with the usual level of force, but has no effect on the brake itself.

    I've never had any problems with this prius since purchasing it over a year ago. In my 3 years of living in this area, I've never seen snow so this was my first time taking the Prius through any at all. I've taken it through light ice before, but nothing on this level.

    I've been considering using the common reset methods for the ABS sensors(using a paper clip to jump two pins under the dash), but without knowing what could cause both this and the parking brake issue I don't want to jump the gun on it.
     
    #1 Nile West, Feb 4, 2019
  2. tankyuong

    tankyuong Senior Member

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    Nov 9, 2012
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    Location:
    Central MO
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    II
    You probably knocked a sensor wire loose in the snow
     
    #2 tankyuong, Feb 4, 2019
  3. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Hmm....

    The parking brake, as it happens, is an absolutely pure mechanical linkage from the parking brake pedal down by your left foot, through a metal cable, to the rear brakes. There is nothing else to it, and there is absolutely no way for it to go from disengaged to engaged except by that pedal being pushed.

    So this is one of those stories where it would help a lot if you could take one step back, and describe whatever you observed that led you to conclude the parking brake had engaged.

    The conclusion might be iffy, but the observations could tell us a lot.

    Were you responding to the red BRAKE light coming on? That comes on for assorted reasons, the parking brake being only one of them.
     
    #3 ChapmanF, Feb 4, 2019
    Pluggo likes this.
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