2008-2016 Toyota Highlander Parking Brake Problems and Adjustment

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

The 2008-2016 Toyota Highlander uses a foot-operated parking brake pedal that works a small set of drum brake shoes hidden inside the center of each rear rotor. When the pedal sinks too far, the vehicle creeps on a hill, or the rear wheels drag after release, the cause is almost always one of three things: worn or rusted parking brake shoes, a shoe clearance that was never reset after a rear brake job, or a stretched or seized cable. Adjustment is done in a set order, shoes first and cable second, and getting that order wrong is the most common reason a Highlander parking brake never feels right.

How the Highlander Parking Brake Works

Both the 2008-2013 and the 2014-2016 Highlander use the same basic layout. Toyota's quick reference guides for the 2010 and 2015 models describe the control the same way: depress the pedal to set the parking brake, and depress it again to release it. There is no release handle to pull. The pedal is under the left side of the dash and is meant to be applied with your left foot while your right foot holds the service brake.

The pedal pulls a front cable, which splits to two rear cables. Each rear cable runs to a lever inside the rear brake assembly. The rear brakes are discs, but the rotor has a deep center section (the "hat"), and the inside of that hat is machined as a small brake drum. A pair of parking brake shoes sits on the backing plate inside it. Pulling the cable spreads the shoes against the drum surface and locks the wheel. This design is called drum-in-hat. MOTOR magazine's parking brake service article describes exactly this: applying the lever expands the parking shoes into the inside diameter of the disc hat.

The important consequence is that your normal rear brake pads play no part in holding the vehicle when it is parked. A Highlander can have brand new rear pads and rotors and still have a weak parking brake, because the parking shoes are a separate friction system.

Common Parking Brake Problems and Their Symptoms

A dragging parking brake is not a nuisance to ignore. Toyota's owner information warns that driving with the parking brake applied overheats the brake components, which reduces braking performance and speeds up wear. If you smell hot brakes from one rear corner after a drive, check that wheel first.

Why Highlander Parking Brakes Fail

They are rarely used. Most owners never set the parking brake because Park holds the vehicle. Shoes that never move tend to stick to the backing plate, and the cable strands corrode inside the housing. MOTOR's article notes that parking brakes suffer from neglect for exactly this reason, and that rust and corrosion are the main enemy where roads are salted.

The clearance was not reset after a rear brake job. To replace the rear rotors, the rear caliper and bracket come off and the rotor slides over the parking shoes. The shoe adjuster often gets backed off to free a stubborn rotor and is never set back. The result is a pedal that goes nearly to the floor.

The cables stretch. Over the years the inner cable stretches and gains slack, which shows up as more pedal travel. There is a single adjusting nut to take up that slack, but it has limited range. If the adjuster is already run out as far as it goes, MOTOR's advice is that the cable needs replacing, not more adjustment.

Contamination. Brake fluid from a leaking rear caliper, or axle lubricant from a failed seal, can soak the parking shoe linings. Contaminated linings will not hold and cannot be cleaned; they must be replaced.

How to Adjust the Parking Brake on a 2008-2016 Highlander

Toyota's service procedure is done in two stages and the order matters. Adjusting the cable to make up for loose shoes only hides the problem and can leave the shoes dragging once they wear in.

Stage 1: Set the parking brake shoe clearance

1. Release the parking brake, chock the front wheels, and lift and support the rear of the vehicle safely on jack stands.
2. Remove the rear wheels. The adjuster star wheel is reached through the service hole in the rotor with the rotor installed.
3. Turn the adjuster to expand the shoes until the rotor locks and will not turn.
4. Back the adjuster off the number of notches the factory service manual specifies, until the rotor turns smoothly by hand with no drag. The goal is light clearance, not contact.
5. Repeat on the other side.

Stage 2: Set the pedal travel

1. With the shoes set, check pedal travel by applying the pedal with firm, steady force and counting the clicks. Compare it to the factory specification.
2. If travel is out of range, reach the parking brake cable adjusting nut, loosen its lock nut, and turn the adjusting nut until the travel is correct.
3. Tighten the lock nut to the factory torque value.
4. Apply and release the pedal several times, then confirm the rear wheels spin freely with the brake released and that the brake warning light comes on when applied and goes out when released.
5. Reinstall the wheels and tighten the lug nuts to the factory specification.

After new shoes or a replaced rotor, the shoes usually need bedding in before they hold at full strength. Follow the bedding instructions in the service manual for your model year.

What to Replace Together

If you are taking the rear rotors off anyway, inspect the parking shoes at the same time. The job is almost entirely the same labor.

• Parking brake shoes: replace them if the lining is worn near the minimum in the service manual, glazed, cracked, or contaminated. See our brake shoes collection.
• Springs and hold-down hardware: the return springs and hold-down pins weaken and rust. A fresh brake hardware kit costs little compared with doing the job twice.
• Rear rotors: the drum surface inside the hat wears too. If it is scored or worn past the maximum inside diameter, the rotor is replaced, since the drum and disc are one piece. Browse replacement brake rotors.
• Rear pads: if the rotors are being replaced, fit new pads with them. For 2014-2016 models we carry the Hawk Performance Ceramic rear brake pads for the 2014-2016 Highlander.
• Cables: replace any cable that binds, has a cracked housing, or has no adjustment left.

Front brakes do not affect the parking brake at all, but if your front pads are also due, the Hawk Performance Ceramic Street front brake pads for the 2008-2016 Highlander fit every year in this range.

How Hard Is the Job?

A simple shoe clearance and cable adjustment is a moderate driveway job with basic hand tools, a brake adjusting tool or flat screwdriver, and jack stands. Replacing the parking shoes is harder. The rear caliper and bracket come off, the rotor comes off (a rusted rotor may need penetrating oil and patience), and the shoes, springs and adjuster are fiddly to reassemble. Take a photo of one side before you disassemble it and work one side at a time so you always have a reference. Rear caliper bracket bolts and lug nuts must go back to the factory torque values.

Once the job is done, use the parking brake regularly. Setting it every time you park keeps the shoes and cables moving, which is the single best way to stop them seizing again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Highlander parking brake use the rear brake pads?

No. The 2008-2016 Highlander uses a separate set of small drum shoes inside the hat of each rear rotor. New rear pads will not fix a weak parking brake.

Why does my parking brake pedal go almost to the floor after new rear rotors?

The parking shoe adjuster was most likely backed off to remove the old rotors and not reset. Set the shoe clearance through the adjusting hole first, then check pedal travel.

How do I release the parking brake on a Highlander?

Press the parking brake pedal again. Toyota's quick reference guides for these years describe it as depress to set, depress again to release.

Can I just tighten the cable instead of adjusting the shoes?

It may feel better for a while, but it uses up the cable's limited adjustment and can leave the shoes dragging. Toyota's procedure sets shoe clearance first and cable second.

Is it safe to drive with the parking brake dragging?

No. It overheats the rear brakes, reduces braking performance and wears parts quickly. Fix the drag before driving any distance.

Should I use the parking brake with an automatic transmission?

Yes. Using it regularly keeps the shoes and cable from seizing, and on a slope it holds the vehicle with the brakes rather than leaving all the load on the transmission.

Sources

1. Toyota 2010 Highlander Quick Reference Guide - pedal-type parking brake, depress to set and depress again to release
2. Toyota 2015 Highlander Quick Reference Guide - same pedal operation on the 2014-2016 generation
3. Toyota Highlander Service Manual: Parking brake system - shoe clearance before pedal travel, cable adjusting nut and lock nut, post-adjustment checks
4. Toyota Highlander Service Manual: Parking brake assembly - adjuster expanded until the disc locks then backed off, lining and drum inside diameter limits
5. Toyota Highlander Owners Manual: Parking brake - driving with the brake applied overheats brake components
6. MOTOR Magazine: Brake Shop - Parking Brakes - how drum-in-hat shoes work, corrosion from neglect, cable stretch and replacement when out of adjustment