Check parking brake yellow fault light problem

[peter.o'kane]

Hi,

I'm new to the Toyota owners club i signed up to give details regarding a fault the was intermittently showing on my car over the past few months. It began as the occasional yellow warning lights illuminating and a message on the display panel saying ''check parking brake'' i decided to try to clear the warning message by switching the ignition off and and back on again and after doing this three or four times the warning light extinguished.

This problem seemed to get progressively worse over a three month period and in the last few days i also noticed there were issues with reduce power when i pressed the accelerator and the fault lights would return immediately once the engine was switched/back on again and the Check Parking Brake yellow fault lights (there were three of them illuminated) now wouldn't clear. My MOT was due in early March and i decided to leave the problem and mention it to the garage once i was booking my car in for the MOT test and annual service (The mileage is just over 50 thousand for my 16 plate Avensis)  the garage said they would use diagnostic testing which would hopefully show what the issue was. As the Avensis has an Electric Parking Button i was hoping it was just a sensor fault as i knew the brake was releasing and not binding.

After the MOT and service was completed the garage said my car had passed but there diagnostic testing had not managed to show the fault the advised me to take my car to another garage (who actually repair Lorries/Vans) and get them to run another diagnostic test the - following statement lists the actual problem, what was required to fix the problem and the cost:-

To run diagnostic check on car due to problems with yellow warning lights.

The test showed 'various faults' relating to the EGS (Engine Gas Re-circulation valve) and the O2 sensor.

A decision was made to change the 'EGS valve first' as this was linked to more (two/three) of the faults showing during the diagnostic test,

The new EGS valve part was ordered changed and it was reprogrammed and this fixed the problem and the car was road tested to ensure the yellow warning lights remained off and did not return There was no requirement to change the 02 sensor.

EGS valve - £194

Labour - £85

Diagnostic test - £25

Total bill - £304

I wanted to share this with the Toyota Avensis club as there seems to be a problem with the Yellow warning lights coming on and this 'Check Parking brake' issue. It is well documented and this goes to show that it really had nothing to do with the electric parking brake at all and the fault was entirely unconnected.

I have just got my car back today and I drove it home (4 or 5 miles) the warning lights were off and the power issues were also resolved. I will add a quick update and hopefully this is now resolved. The mechanic explained that once the valve operates it covers this small hole on the manifold and when the valve sticks there is back pressure in the engine and this is what caused the 'Check Parking brake' yellow warning lights to illuminate and the reduce power/engine sluggishness, The early fix of switching the engine off and back on again may have reset the valve but this had got progressively worse over the three months.

I hope that my post might help some other people and they manage to get their cars fixed quicker than i managed to. I'm glad that i managed to eventually get to the bottom of the issue once and for all.

Stay safe and i wish you and your love ones well during these difficult times. (25th March '20)  

Peter  

(Peter O'Kane)

 

Edited March 25, 2020 by peter.o'kane
spelling mistake

[Konrad C]

Great result and glad you had the faults resolved. I am aware that EGR issues that causes parking brake warning to illuminate. There are other that can trigger the parking brake warning.

I that you shared this. 

I only just came across this, over 6½ months later. It be better in the Avensis forum too.