During the first test drive of our new-to-us 2005 Sequoia Limited 4x4 I noticed that the red brake indicator on the dash came on at one point. I stopped, engaged then disengaged the parking brake but the light stayed on. Before we collected the vehicle yesterday the braking system was inspected by Toyota but no fault was found and the light didn't go on during their test drive. I was told it would be easier to diagnose if I was able to return when the light was on.

We've since seen this behaviour again. Any ideas what might be causing it?

Cheers,

John.

 

check your brake fluid level

 

That's already been done - twice. Once by the independent garage where we had the vehicle inspected as a condition of sale, and again by Toyota. The problem is definitely intermittent.

The Toyota dealer checked the wiring as well. At this point I'm starting to wonder if the sensor is faulty.

 

The fluid level sensors seem to be very sensitive in 4Runners, if the brake fluid is even a bit low they'll trigger the light, especially when braking or cornering. Make sure the brake fluid is up to the Max mark.

Though a faulty sensor is always possible, try to get the dealer to change it before you buy the vehicle.

 

Having since read some other posts here on the topic, I see that the fluid level is a common cause so we'll double-check that first. Today we drove from Ottawa to Kingston (about 2 hrs) and the light didn't come on once.

We've already bought the truck, but this issue will be covered under warranty.

Thanks for the tips, everyone.

 

I can vouch for this, mine turned on and turns out the pads were shot. Changed pads and went away. Oh, yeah it turned on when hard cornering and heavy acceleration from my good ol' gas hoggin lead foot. LOl

 

I've had this happen to me a few times with different cars. I believe this indicates a problem with brake system, which for me has been resolved by changing the front pads and service calipers... brake job = no more annoying e -brake light.

 

We had the truck inspected by an independent mechanic and the pads and rotors are in good shape - lots of life left. Hmmm...

 

Update: the light hasn't come on again, even after driving around town locally. We'll wait and see.

 

is it possible when toyota inspected it they added a little fluid, enough to where it doesn't trip the sensitive sensor?

 

It's possible - I checked the reservoir today and it's really full. The light is coming back on now, BTW.

 

Adjust with a hammer as necessary.

 

Y'know, I've tried that in the past. Works well if your problem is a NAIL...

 

We've got an appointment with a Toyota dealer on Tuesday. They'll take the truck for the day, drive it 'till the light comes on (usually within 5 minutes of starting) and pull the code when it does.

 

The truck went in yesterday as scheduled. Apparently the problem is the speed sensor. Luckily the seller is paying the bill. We should get 'er back tomorrow and I'll see if that did the trick.

 

BTW welcome to the family JD.

 

Thanks, aviator.

We should get the truck back today. Updates to follow.

 

I am not 100% sure, but when Toyota last had my truck because of some spedometer problem, I felt as though my brake would not dis-engage.

For those of you that have the 2nd gen you know that the brake is like this
|----- and you have to twist and turn. Well I had to almost slam the thing.

After a while of driving like that, (maybe a month) before I was gonna take it back to Toyota, it went off. And stopped.

What I do now is not even use the parking brake. You really don't need it if you are on a flat surface. The truck is so heavy, it's not going anywhere...

 

Your problem with that is most likely related to corosion on the actuation levers on the back of the drums. It happens around here all the time.
If you go under the rear of the truck and look at the back side of the brake drums you will see a lever attached to a cable riding between two "forks" this is the e-brake lever. What happens is corrosion builds up and causes the lever to bind in the forks. No problem when setting them but the return springs in the drum are'nt strong enough to pull the lever back off again when you reset the in cab handle. To fix this problem you need to remove as much of the corosion as you can with a wire brush and then grease it with a little chassis grease. If you get it at every oil change you should have no problem there.
If the problem is the cab handle not reseting then you need to lubricate the e-brake cable if you look under the truck roughly below the pax seat you will see another lever assembly with a spring and two cable attachment points lubricate the spindle, spring, and the two cables with a little silicone lubricant and this should solve your problems.
You may need to wire brush the spring if it is very corroded or posibly even replace it if it has rusted to a solid unit [I've seen it happen lol].

 

We got the truck back today. Apparently the repair (which was covered) cost a little less than seven hundred bucks and while we were driving home, guess what? Light came on again.

I decided to take the first piece of advice... I got some DOT3 brake fluid and even though the reservoir was over the max line I filled it to the point where I could just get the cap back on without spilling any.

It was a short drive home, but the light stayed off. Time will tell!