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Compiled automatically from service literature and owner experience. Specs are for the typical configuration — check them against your exact car before you start.

Toyota Land Cruiser Prado (J150): Parking Brake Adjustment

The Prado J150 has a hand-operated parking brake with a lever on the center console. It acts on small drum shoes inside the rear brake rotors. If the lever travels too high or the vehicle does not hold well on a slope, first adjust the shoe clearance inside the rotor, then take up slack in the cable. If the shoes are worn or contaminated with oil, adjustment will not help and they must be replaced.

Difficulty: Medium Time: 1-2 hours Steps: 10 Tools: Jack and jack stands or a lift, lug wrench, wheel chocks, thin screwdriver or pry tool, flashlight, socket and wrench set (for the adjusting nut near the lever, approximately 12 mm), set of plastic trim removal tools for the console trim, brake cleaner

Part

  • 🔩 Nothing is needed for a simple adjustment. If adjustment does not help, you will need the rear parking brake shoes (the drum mechanism inside the rear brake rotor) or the parking brake cable. It is safer to order parts by name than to guess at part numbers

Step by step

10 steps
  1. Check the starting condition. Normal lever travel is usually a few clicks (approximately 5-8). Check the manufacturer's service manual for the exact value. If the lever rises noticeably higher, adjustment is needed.
  2. Park the vehicle on level ground, chock the front wheels, and lower the parking brake lever completely. Select P (or first gear) only until the rear axle is raised, then shift to neutral. Otherwise the wheels cannot be turned.
  3. Raise the rear axle onto jack stands and remove the rear wheel. Make sure the rotor spins freely without binding.
  4. On the back side of the rotor (on the inner part, in the "hat" area), find the service hole or rubber plug. The parking brake shoe adjuster star wheel is accessible through it. Remove the plug if there is one.
  5. Rotate the rotor to bring the hole to a convenient position (usually at the bottom or side). Using a thin screwdriver, turn the adjuster star wheel in the direction that expands the shoes until the rotor starts to drag. Then back it off 5-8 clicks until the rotor spins freely without rubbing. The direction of rotation depends on which side of the vehicle you are working on, so go by the result: the shoes should expand first, then release.
  6. Repeat on the other wheel so that the force needed to turn the rotor is the same on both sides. Install the plugs and wheels, and tighten the lug nuts to the torque in the service manual (for the Prado J150 this is around 103 N·m (76 lb-ft); it is best to verify the value).
  7. Check the lever travel. If it is still too long after adjusting the shoes, move on to taking up the cable. To do this, remove the trim around the lever (the armrest and console panels, and if necessary the four-wheel-drive control unit and the gear shift knob). Disconnect the connectors. Under the clips and plastic covers you will find the cable adjuster at the base of the lever.
  8. Tighten the adjusting nut clockwise (with a wrench of approximately 12 mm) by a small angle. Tighten gradually, checking lever travel after each step. The desired result: the lever engages at the specified number of clicks, and the rear wheels spin freely when the lever is released.
  9. Be sure to check that the wheels do not drag when the lever is fully lowered. Otherwise the shoes will overheat and wear quickly, and you will hear rubbing and smell hot brakes while driving.
  10. Reinstall the trim and reconnect the connectors. On level ground and on a slight slope, check that the vehicle holds firmly on the parking brake. Check that the parking brake indicator on the instrument panel lights up and goes out properly.

Common mistakes and warnings

  • The brake system is safety-critical. If you have no experience working on brakes, leave the job to a repair shop. Work only on level ground, and never get under a vehicle supported only by a jack. Do not blow off brake dust. Use brake cleaner. If the vehicle still does not hold well on a slope after adjustment, the parking brake shoes are most likely worn or oil-soaked, or the cables are stretched or seized. Do not over-tighten: dragging shoes overheat. Check the exact lever travel and torque values against the manufacturer's service manual.
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