Toyota avensis - "Parking brake inoperable" - 2k to fix?

scottigael

Bought a Toyota avensis 2012, main issue seems to be "parking brake inoperable" constantly on the dashboard draining the battery (car was dead today after not starting for 2 days had to charge battery)

Apparently the original handbrake was giving issue so previous owner scrapped it and got second hand one from scrapyard which worked for a bit but since failed. So he parked it up for past few months and I bought it from him.

Rang various Toyota garages quoted around 1800 euro for the part not including installation. Anyone have experience with this?

https://toyotadirectparts.co.uk/parts/toyota-avensis/toyota-avensis-mk-3/avensis-mk-3-brakes-transmission/toyota-avensis-2008-2018-parking-brake-actuator/

Could I order from this crowd in the UK alternatively?

colm_mcm

Get the rear brake assembly checked before ordering parts. If anything is seized or broken back there it can throw up an actuator fault.

wassie

I had issues with my electronic handbrake in late 2019 with a 2010 Avensis Estate that I imported from UK two years earlier. Never got it fully resolved and sold the car at the end of 2020.

My issue is probably different to yours, but its related in that I swapped out my actuator unit with a replacement. I never had a battery drain issue, but did have a persistent fault warning light on the dash. Was never able to get it exactly diagnosed (by two separate dealers), was more a process of elimination.

Also re: the battery drain, this may be due to a slight difference in the electronics as the 2012 model would be an updated mid-life refresh over the 2010 model.

In my case, the electronic parking brake module (EPM) developed a faulty warning light. The dealer where I had it serviced said the only way to fix the warning light was to replace the electronic handbrake unit, even though it functioned perfectly. This is because the handbrake actuator and EPM are housed together in the unit you have linked above. Worse still, they wouldnt guarantee it would solve the problem due to compatability issues surrounding the car not recognising the EPM (coding issues apparently).

So I had an electronic handbrake that worked, but because it was throwing a warning light I wouldn't pass NCT.

I took the car to another dealer for a second opinion. They gave me same advice. Cost to replace the part at that time (3 yrs ago) was around €1200 + labour. They suggested if I could source a replacement from a wrecking yard from the exact same model that would be a cheaper option but, again no guarantee it would work and it was at my own risk. I sourced a part from the UK at cost of €245 + €270 labour. Had no luck in the end as they couldn’t get it to code properly. So I was back to where I started.

NCT was due in a few months and I wasnt going to risk a second time with a new part (€1500+ all in). As an alternative, at their suggestion, they provided a letter to confirm the handbrake was operating as normal but the fault light couldnt be removed and see if NCT would accept that.

I ended up getting a new car and onsold the Avensis before NCT was due. I clearly disclosed there was an issue when I advertised the car and I also discounted my asking price by €1500. (Just before covid hit and the price of used cars went bananas unfortunately).

I explained this in detail to the new buyer, along with a follow up email, so they were fully aware that they were buying at their own risk. I never heard back from them, but did see the car driving around last year so I assume they got it sorted.

Good luck with it all.