Annoying brake noise Prius Plug In Excel

[bigals55]

Changed my 2016 Prius Excel for 2017 Prius Plug in Excel. Handover went smoothly but I was so disappointed that the Battery was completely empty when I drove away and had to drive home using petrol!

I am enjoying the car especially as most of my journeys are about 30 miles so I use very little petrol. It feels good to know I am not polluting the environment.

However, I have one major problem which is a very annoying creaking noise coming from the brakes. This occurs when coming to a halt even when I manage a score of 5 bars for braking and then occurs again when releasing the brake before driving off. It is particularly bad when queuing in traffic on a downhill incline and happens each time I release the brake to edge forward. For a super quiet running car this is really distressing to me.

I took the car to my local dealer (I bought it for a great price and part ex from a dealer 40 miles away) and went out for a test drive with a service technician who agreed the creaking noise should not be happening. He suggested leaving the car for a month or so to see what happens. After a month I booked it in to the dealer I bought the car from. They also agreed the noise was not normal and contacted Toyota who suggested new front pads. This was carried out and the original pads sent to Toyota for investigation. Sadly new brakes pads have not corrected the problem (although I think it is a bit better). I contacted the dealer today to say the problem had not been fixed and was asked to wait until they heard back from Toyota with a report on the original pads. he said it might be into the new year before I heard anything.

I wonder if any other owner has experienced the same problem and is this a problem with the model or is the problem just with my car.

Any thoughts and advice would be appreciated

[ian rooke]

Hi i have had 4 prius and a ct 200h all have had a loud creak from the brakes when pulling away very slowly or when the car is creeping and you apply the brakes gently

[Sooty]

This is normal.

I get the same on my Gen 2 Prius.

It is just the friction between the pads and discs. A bit like if you rub your hands slowly on a metal surface.

I am sure that this is nothing to worry about.

[PeteB]

The fact that Alan has noticed it having had a least one other Prius before suggests this is more than the normal brake tremor as the car comes to a final stop or starts to creep.  The fact that the supplying dealer agrees also suggests this is not normal.

[kithmo]

Mine does it occasionally but it's not loud. If changing the pads didn't solve it, assuming they were assembled correctly with the shims etc, then it could be the discs.

It may just be that it's more noticeable with the Plug-in than it was on the normal Prius.

I'd find a deserted road and give it an Italian tune up, braking hard occasionally.

[Farhan75]

i need New ABS break Toyota Prius 2006 1500cc

[bigals55]

Many thanks for the interest. Having had new pads fitted and being left with experiencing the same noises I feel rather let down by Toyota. The dealer has told me that he does not think they can do any more. He did suggest doing what kithmo suggested although not calling it an Italian tune up. He suggested going on the motorway and when there was no traffic in sight make an emergency style stop. I agree that it is nothing to worry about (Sooty) it is just so annoying to be told there is nothing to be done to stop this noise. Having now gone past the age of 3 score years and 10 I have decided that I will be having a new car every 12 months (each one might be my last). I can assure Toyota that the next car will not be of the Toyota variety. I find it incredible that people just seem to accept this noise. 

[aCactus]

I have no brake noise in my C-HR and I think it has the same mechanical bits as the latest Prius via the TNGA platform

 

[bigals55]

Thanks aCactus. I intend to try to get  some satisfaction by going direct to Toyota customer relations this week. I'm feeling very disappointed and let down.

[16_Auris_HSD]

Can you record it and post a video on youtube perhaps? I wonder how severe it is?

I experience a slight brake rub when driving off after the car is parked up overnight. It doesn't go away unless I brake hard, beyond regen, a couple of times. Initially it drove me nuts but then I'd realised that the reason I paid attention to is it is because I used to drive with no radio, trying to enjoy the beauties of running a hybrid. Also modern disc brakes can be a pain to keep clean because the materials they use nowadays are very ecofriendly and very prone to rust.

[barrycoll]

My 2017 Excel has very quiet braking......but i too would be more than a little peeved Alan, if a new car was doing something new cars shouldn’t do.

Personally I would continue to pester Mr T until he either fixed the problem (or changed the car????)

 

[bigals55]

Thanks for your input Barry. I certainly intend to take this further. What a shame as the car is otherwise almost perfect. 

[MEP's Yaris GS]

The issue it one's persons 'creak' is another persons 'normal operational noise'.

OP can you post a video of said noise? I suspect its entirely normal and no different to what anyone else has. At the end of the day all automatics with creep tend to do it to some extent from experience.

[QuantumFireball]

Maybe it'll just take time for the brakes to bed in? I've never driven one with new discs/pads so don't know, but I do know you'll generally hear the brakes a lot more than what you would, even compared to the standard hybrids as the ICE is running a lot less.

[bigals55]

Further to the response of 16_Auris_HSD  

I have today recorded a video which clearly demonstrates the noises I am experiencing  . I have been advised by Vantage Wakefield that I will be able to meet with a rep from Toyota at sometime in the near future so hopefully will achieve some satisfaction.

20171115_111735[1].mp4

[ian rooke]

Hi having listened to your Video that is exactly the sound I get when releasing the foot brake very slowly to reverse out of my garage this has happened on 2 gen 2 ,1 Gen 3, 1Gen 4 and 1 Lexus ct200h  so unless I have been very unlucky it looks like most if not all Prius do it. PS Mine is a lot louder

[bigals55]

I hope I've uploaded the video correctly. The sounds start at about 25 seconds with probably the worst being at 2.00 minutes

[bigals55]

Gosh Ian. That was a fast response. Have you ever complained about these noises? Do you think they just apply to Toyota group cars or do these noises occur with other hybrids such as VW, Audi, BMW etc?

[ian rooke]

Hi only had Toyotas since 1986 so cannot comment on other cars.I always thought it was normal if annoying for the car. It always happened when pulling away very slowly or when getting into my garage which is 4 inches longer than the car so going slow is paramount.Never thought to complain as they all did it. 

[kithmo]

I've had creaking/groaning noises on every car I've owned that had disc brakes, the worst being a Mk3 Ford Mondeo I had, it's quite normal and probably more noticable on a car like the Prius due to it being so quiet with the ICE not running.

I must admit though, that sound 2 minutes into your video is one I've not heard before, it sounds like one of those subliminal messages from beyond the grave that needs to be played backwards  

[16_Auris_HSD]

On 11/15/2017 at 7:50 PM, bigals55 said:

Further to the response of 16_Auris_HSD  

I have today recorded a video which clearly demonstrates the noises I am experiencing  . I have been advised by Vantage Wakefield that I will be able to meet with a rep from Toyota at sometime in the near future so hopefully will achieve some satisfaction.

20171115_111735[1].mp4

This sounds pretty bad, almost as if you had loose pads and/or very rusty discs. Neither my Auris nor the pre facelift Auris I tested sound(ed) like this.

In fact I had a BMW with M brakes a couple of years back that had this issue and it was due to badly rusting discs which apparently is within spec since modern pads are made out of eco friendly materials that are prone to rust build up.

The only way to convince yourself would be to arrange a test drive of another car with similar spec.

[thecaretaker]

That noise happens with my current Gen4 and has been present on all previous cars I have owned since the removal of asbestos brake linings. It is known as brake binding. It is perfectly normal and only happens when the disc and pads are cold. It is more noticeable with cars with regenerative brakes (Hybrids) as the disc brakes don't get used as much and don't get as hot. If like me you are a gentle smooth driver, the disc brakes only come into play at very slow speeds (under 5mph when coming to a stop) the rest of the time the regen brakes are used.

Go on a long run and do lots of hard braking (to ensure the disk brakes are being used as well and not just the regen brakes) and get your brakes nice and hot. The hotter the brakes the smoother the brake pad surface becomes. Then try gentle stop/start and It won't make that noise. Well, not until you get in and drive the next day.

It happens with all cars, but with hybrids with regen braking the disc brakes take much longer to warm up compared to a 'normal' car. In a normal car after 3 or 4 brake applications they have warmed up sufficiently to not make that noise. In a Hybrid, especially if you are a smooth gentle driver, you may find the brakes never get used enough to build up any heat.

 

[QuantumFireball]

5 hours ago, thecaretaker said:

Go on a long run and do lots of hard braking (to ensure the disk brakes are being used as well and not just the regen brakes) and get your brakes nice and hot. The hotter the brakes the smoother the brake pad surface becomes. Then try gentle stop/start and It won't make that noise. Well, not until you get in and drive the next day.

If you put it into N then it will only use the disc brakes with no regen. Obviously not the most efficient way of driving though :)

[bigals55]

Some interesting comments, thanks. I ask myself - why in these days of modern technology should brakes not work quietly without doing hard braking to warm them up? I have an appointment with a toyota rep at the beginning of January but I don't hold out much hope that he will come up with anything not mentioned above by all of the members who have given opinions and advice. Thanks everyone.

[MEP's Yaris GS]

2 hours ago, bigals55 said:

Some interesting comments, thanks. I ask myself - why in these days of modern technology should brakes not work quietly without doing hard braking to warm them up?

Because that wastes energy and fuel needlessly. I'd rather have a slight noise personally.