Parking Brake Warning While Off-roading

[aioeye]

Hi all! I got my new 2025 4Runner out on some trails last weekend and ran into an issue. I stopped on a pretty steep slope to help another person in our group, and when I tried driving again I got a message, "Steep slope. Please move to a flat area to disengage parking brake (I paraphrased since I didn't write the error message down)." My first thought was, "How am I supposed to move to a flatter area if I can't disengage the parking brake?" I took a moment to think and tried a few things. I put the 4Runner in reverse and moved back a little bit, applied my foot brake, then tried to release the parking brake. No luck. I pulled forward as far as I could go with the parking brake applied, then pressed the foot brake and tried to release the parking brake. No luck. Then I put the 4Runner in neutral while holding the foot brake and was able to release the parking brake.

Just wanted to give others a heads up to not stop on steep slopes, and share how I remedied the situation. Have any of y'all run into similar situations where you couldn't release the parking brake? If so, how did you get the parking brake off so you could move again?

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[Nodak]

i turn mine off during winters in ND so it doesnt freeze in place. it shows up as PKSB, also turn it off on the 23 tundra, but it has a dedicated button for it unlike my platinum 4R

its in the manual on how to turn it off permanently but you still get a warning icon on the dash

 

[Nodak]

forgot to add, unless you turn it off permanently, it also engages when you put it into park (shows up as a green PARK icon)

 

[Joestac]

i turn mine off during winters in ND so it doesnt freeze in place. it shows up as PKSB, also turn it off on the 23 tundra, but it has a dedicated button for it unlike my platinum 4R

its in the manual on how to turn it off permanently but you still get a warning icon on the dash

FYI, PKSB is the system that automatically brakes when something is detected by the rear sensors. The auto parking brake still works when this is turned off. I have to turn this off when I carry my bikes, but the parking brake still engages when I put it into park.

From Page 225, shows you how to turn the auto parking brake on/off.

"■ Turning the automatic mode off
While the vehicle is stopped and
depressing the brake pedal,
press and hold the parking
brake switch until a buzzer
sounds and a message is
shown on the multi-information
display."

 

[Matt4Runner]

Yes I have had this issue on a steep downhill off-road.. same resolution.. I also over-cooked the brakes and caused an audible alarm.. Not sure which things caused which, but the lesson was to keep it in a lower gear and/or use DAC.

 

[MikeD]

...I put the 4Runner in reverse and moved back a little bit, applied my foot brake, then tried to release the parking brake. No luck. I pulled forward as far as I could go with the parking brake applied, then pressed the foot brake and tried to release the parking brake. No luck. Then I put the 4Runner in neutral while holding the foot brake and was able to release the parking brake.

There have been some other useful replies that make sense, but I'm just confused by the idea of "releasing the parking brake" - what is it you DID to "release the parking brake"? I was under the impression that pressing the parking brake button on the center console engages it, not releases it and that it automatically releases when put into gear. (I have stopped on some steep slopes off-road but have not experienced the message you got so my question is an honest one borne of ignorance.)

 

[aioeye]

There have been some other useful replies that make sense, but I'm just confused by the idea of "releasing the parking brake" - what is it you DID to "release the parking brake"? I was under the impression that pressing the parking brake button on the center console engages it, not releases it and that it automatically releases when put into gear. (I have stopped on some steep slopes off-road but have not experienced the message you got so my question is an honest one borne of ignorance.)

Sorry if I wasn’t clear. Just shifting into neutral released the parking brake.

Good to know you can disable the parking brake, but that makes me even more nervous than having to mess with it a bit to get it to turn off. I guess I could leave it in neutral and toss a wheel chock under the tires, but that also comes with risks I’m not thrilled about taking.

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