In 1992, my wife and I bought a new 4Runner. When we bought the 4Runner, I bought the Toyota Repair Manual so I could fix it. My experience is that about every 100k miles the front parking brake cable breaks at the end where it attaches to the arm that pulls the two rear cables. A big omission in the Toyota Repair Manual is that it doesn’t show you how to replace the cable. If fact, it doesn’t show the parking brake at all.
Replacing the cable should be about an hour job if you know the right steps to follow. For me when I’ve messed it up, it takes about 8 hours. Sadly, I think I’ve messed it up twice now. I think the first time I tried to change it was in the late 1990‘s, and by 2012 I’d forgotten what to do. The following is the right way to replace the cable (it should also work for trucks with the hand brake that comes out of the dash).
Underneath the vehicle is pretty simple. Remove the broken end from the lever arm.
Photo - Cable Attachment to Rear Lever
I had to remove the lever arm so I could hammer out the connecting pin in my workshop. I greased all the pivot points and reassembled the lever arm. I think the parking brake cable breaks because the end rusts to the connecting pin and arm and no longer pivots around the pin. Once this happens, you bend the parking cable back and forth until it finally breaks. I think I will buy a new connecting pin next time I’m at the dealership and grease the connection annually.
Photo - Front Cable End.jpg
The cable attaches to a bracket welded to the frame with a spring clip. Use a pair of pliers to pull out the spring clip (I had to hammer it out with a screwdriver since mine is rusty).
Photo - Rear Cable Sheath Attachment.jpg
The cable is suspended from the bottom of the vehicle with two clamps. Use a 10mm deep socket to remove the nut on each clamp. On my rusty, 20 year old 4Runner, one nut came off and the other clamp, nut, and stud sheared off the body. I ended up pulling up the carpet and replacing this with a stainless steel bolt, two nuts, and a new clamp.
The cable continues forward into the engine compartment. It goes up and over the back of the engine compartment from the passenger’s side to the driver’s side firewall. It is held in place with foldable metal clamps. Unfold both sides of each clamp to release the cable. Now it’s time to go inside and follow a few simple steps.
Remove the lower part of the dash (I just lowered it to the floor).
Photo - Lower Dash.jpg
Pull up the carpet so you can find where the cable comes through the firewall. Push the grommet through the firewall into the engine compartment. Use a pair of pliers to remove the spring clip that holds the end of cable sheath in place. Remove the pulley by taking out the cotter pin and pulley shaft/pin. With a 12mm wrench, remove the switch that senses when the parking brake is off.
NOTE: Do not mess with the little metal arm that sticks out of the parking brake handle shaft. It looks like it is the obvious thing you should remove to get the broken parking cable out. It is a pin driven into the parking brake handle shaft. It is not threaded and will shear off if you try to twist it with a wrench or pliers. It is a $4 part, but you have to take the dash apart to remove the handle assembly to replace the pin. This was my big mistake. Reading other posts on-line, many people seem to make the same mistake also.
Photo - Clip and Pulley.jpg
Photo - Sensor Switch.jpg
To remove the broken cable, pull it toward the firewall while letting the parking brake handle back in. Once the handle is all the way in, depress the little lever to release the front ratchet stop. This will let the handle go in even further. You now should be able to pull the end of the cable out of the bottom of the backend of the handle shaft with a needle-nosed pliers. Push the broken cable out through the firewall and remove it from the vehicle.
Photo - Parking Brake Handle Assembly.jpg
Photo - Parking Brake Assembly 1.jpg
Photo - Parking Brake Assembly 2.jpg
Install the new front parking brake cable. I started underneath the vehicle and fed the cable up from under the vehicle, into the engine compartment, and through the firewall. Use a needle-nosed pliers to insert the new cable into the end of the handle shaft and pull the handle out an inch or two so the cable end won’t fall out. Replace the spring clip to hold the cable sheath in the bracket. Replace the pulley. Replace the sensor switch. Properly seat the grommet in the firewall and then replace the carpet.
Photo - Cable Grommet.jpg
In the engine compartment, put the cable in the folding clamps and fold them back into place. Replace the clamps that hold the cable up under the vehicle, and reattach the end of the cable sheath to the bracket with the spring clip. Finally, attach the cable end to the arm (I recommend a little grease here).
Photo - Cable Attachment to Rear Lever.jpg
Your parking brake should now be back in service.
Replacing the cable should be about an hour job if you know the right steps to follow. For me when I’ve messed it up, it takes about 8 hours. Sadly, I think I’ve messed it up twice now. I think the first time I tried to change it was in the late 1990‘s, and by 2012 I’d forgotten what to do. The following is the right way to replace the cable (it should also work for trucks with the hand brake that comes out of the dash).
Underneath the vehicle is pretty simple. Remove the broken end from the lever arm.
Photo - Cable Attachment to Rear Lever
I had to remove the lever arm so I could hammer out the connecting pin in my workshop. I greased all the pivot points and reassembled the lever arm. I think the parking brake cable breaks because the end rusts to the connecting pin and arm and no longer pivots around the pin. Once this happens, you bend the parking cable back and forth until it finally breaks. I think I will buy a new connecting pin next time I’m at the dealership and grease the connection annually.
Photo - Front Cable End.jpg
The cable attaches to a bracket welded to the frame with a spring clip. Use a pair of pliers to pull out the spring clip (I had to hammer it out with a screwdriver since mine is rusty).
Photo - Rear Cable Sheath Attachment.jpg
The cable is suspended from the bottom of the vehicle with two clamps. Use a 10mm deep socket to remove the nut on each clamp. On my rusty, 20 year old 4Runner, one nut came off and the other clamp, nut, and stud sheared off the body. I ended up pulling up the carpet and replacing this with a stainless steel bolt, two nuts, and a new clamp.
The cable continues forward into the engine compartment. It goes up and over the back of the engine compartment from the passenger’s side to the driver’s side firewall. It is held in place with foldable metal clamps. Unfold both sides of each clamp to release the cable. Now it’s time to go inside and follow a few simple steps.
Remove the lower part of the dash (I just lowered it to the floor).
Photo - Lower Dash.jpg
Pull up the carpet so you can find where the cable comes through the firewall. Push the grommet through the firewall into the engine compartment. Use a pair of pliers to remove the spring clip that holds the end of cable sheath in place. Remove the pulley by taking out the cotter pin and pulley shaft/pin. With a 12mm wrench, remove the switch that senses when the parking brake is off.
NOTE: Do not mess with the little metal arm that sticks out of the parking brake handle shaft. It looks like it is the obvious thing you should remove to get the broken parking cable out. It is a pin driven into the parking brake handle shaft. It is not threaded and will shear off if you try to twist it with a wrench or pliers. It is a $4 part, but you have to take the dash apart to remove the handle assembly to replace the pin. This was my big mistake. Reading other posts on-line, many people seem to make the same mistake also.
Photo - Clip and Pulley.jpg
Photo - Sensor Switch.jpg
To remove the broken cable, pull it toward the firewall while letting the parking brake handle back in. Once the handle is all the way in, depress the little lever to release the front ratchet stop. This will let the handle go in even further. You now should be able to pull the end of the cable out of the bottom of the backend of the handle shaft with a needle-nosed pliers. Push the broken cable out through the firewall and remove it from the vehicle.
Photo - Parking Brake Handle Assembly.jpg
Photo - Parking Brake Assembly 1.jpg
Photo - Parking Brake Assembly 2.jpg
Install the new front parking brake cable. I started underneath the vehicle and fed the cable up from under the vehicle, into the engine compartment, and through the firewall. Use a needle-nosed pliers to insert the new cable into the end of the handle shaft and pull the handle out an inch or two so the cable end won’t fall out. Replace the spring clip to hold the cable sheath in the bracket. Replace the pulley. Replace the sensor switch. Properly seat the grommet in the firewall and then replace the carpet.
Photo - Cable Grommet.jpg
In the engine compartment, put the cable in the folding clamps and fold them back into place. Replace the clamps that hold the cable up under the vehicle, and reattach the end of the cable sheath to the bracket with the spring clip. Finally, attach the cable end to the arm (I recommend a little grease here).
Photo - Cable Attachment to Rear Lever.jpg
Your parking brake should now be back in service.
