In the second installment of minor automotive repair, I will describe how I fixed the stuck parking brake on my Toyota Tacoma. For your reference, my truck is the most basic 1998 Tacoma (4 cylinders, RWD), although this information should apply to many years and configurations of the Tacoma.

My problem began when I was unable to disengage my parking brake. The brake release lever on the Tacoma can be a bit tricky, you first have to press the release button, twist the lever clockwise, and then push it forwards toward the dash. With a stuck parking brake, the forward motion was a bit resistant, and the parking light indicator in the gauge cluster would remain lit. After some brief Internet research, I figured that this was something I could tackle myself. I have to give credit to this guide from ehow for giving me the basics, but I'm hoping that my guide and the included pictures will be of use.

The only additions I would add to the ehow guide is that I did not have to jack up the rear of my truck, and that you can diagnose which cable is stuck by watching both of them when engaging and releasing the parking brake. I was able to free the brake cable by spraying penetrating oil into the rubber boots covering the parking brake entry and pulling the stuck cable until it broke free. Because the cable is easily accessed on the underside of the truck, this is a fairly simple fix.

Parking brake tension adjuster

Parking brake cable enters the drum