The parking brake is applied by an actuator which uses a strong spring to pull on the cable and apply the brake. The brake is released by a hydraulic cylinder which pushes a piston against the actuator spring to remove tension from the cable. Hydraulic pressure for this release is supplied by an electric pump which is turned on by having the ignition ON and the transmission range selector moved out of PARK. Shifting the selector into PARK, turning the ignition to OFF, or pulling the pull button switch will shut off power for the release mechanism, allowing the actuator to apply the parking brake.

There is provision for applying the parking brake manually when the transmission is not in PARK. Pulling out the pull button switch will turn off the brake release system and apply the brake.

The AUTO PARK indicator lamp on the instrument cluster turns on when the parking brake is applied or when the pump is running. The BRAKE indicator turns on when the pull button switch is applied or when the actuator is in an overtravel condition. In case of an actuator overtravel, the parking brake alarm will also sound.