Squeals like a pig

It's not rust, it is pads and hardware. It is common for Prius rotors to rust from lack of use, but the Gen III TSBs are definitely for defective pads etc. This is probably the same exact thing. The only way to get a TSB out the door quickly for the V is to complain vociferously at your dealer. Do a few hard stops in Neutral before visiting your dealer, so that you can show them that there is not a spot of rust on the rotors, yet it still makes noise when cold.

 

So you've gone from "This is normal and there is nothing we can do about it" to "There -May Be- a mechanical problem in the braking system"?

Then he asks YOU to do the leg work on providing him with leads to discover what it is? SORRY..but IMO that's not YOUR job.

Finding out what REALLY is wrong or not wrong with your brakes SHOULD be his job.

I think I'd feel better with the simple contention that it is normal and there is nothing that can be done than the vacillation from that's "normal" to "maybe there is a problem" but HELP me find out what it is....and how to fix it.

If the noise is routinely reproduceable? Then how hard should it be for a tech worth his salt to be able to look at the brakes and "know" exactly what is causing the noise?

Sorry if I sound harsh..but I don't like that response.

 

Sorry, I'm not "scolding" anyone. I sincerely hope you get your issue resolved, or if it is a design flaw, this becomes the genesis of a TSB...

It's NOT that I'm scolding you. It's just I wouldn't feel good about a dealership that evidently 1st tells you a problem in "normal" and then changes tune and say's well "maybe it's a problem". It either is a resolvable problem or it is not.

I can only react from what YOU are saying your experience has been.

I'm glad you are gathering information. But in your previous post you clearly made it sound like HE was asking you to do the leg work on gathering information.

If you want to do it fine. But diagnosing the problem and finding the solution IS suppose to be the dealerships/Service Departments job. You are the owner and the customer.

Prius Chat is a wealth of information and a great place to determine if there is a similarity or trend developing either positive or negative.

So I'm NOT knocking you for looking for the answers, but I am knocking your service department for evidently changing their diagnosis, and then evidently asking you to discover the answer.

 

Can't you record the sound on your cell next time it happens?

 

Can you leave it overnight so they can try it after a cold soak?

 

I sincerely wish you the best of luck in resolving all your issues whatever they may be, and using whatever procedure or tools inwhich you feel comfortable.

 

The Video cam sounds good. I only suggested the cell because everyone has it with them at all times. Most people, me included, forget the video/pic ability until it's too late. I'm sort of hoping your car IS possessed. That would reduce the likelihood that I'll have a similar problem with mine at some later time.

 

2nd try. Made a copy of this last page thread. Gave it to our Toyota of Fort Worth dealership Service Manager. He read it. Thanked me for providing a copy of this thread segment. Said that he would call me [provided our telephone number] when they receive the TSB notice.

When anyone learns that this TSB has been released.. please drop us a note here in the forum.

Again, thanks for your help

dave at 360texas.com

 

Picked mine up 3 weeks ago and been hearing the same Squeals. Live in Boston and temp was about 38 this morning. Seem to notice more when its damp. It only last only a few min. I'm going to call the dealer on Monday see what they have to say. I will let you all know what they tell me.

 

My Prius V-3 has a pulsating tone when doing what you say. There is one note per rev for about 300 feet and stops. Not all the time, so I captured it on my camera video. The dealer supposedly broke down the RR brake. Still noisy and I am garage kept.

I found the reason when installing rear mud flaps after the dealer said it was at the regional level to tell him what to do. Theere is a tight spot when turning the rotor by the lugs that is not felt when the tire is on. The leverage and mass of the tire mask it. There is no play in the calipers but I nudged it to minimum hard spot and noise is diminished. The LR has equal drag all the way around and no noise. I am getting 40MPG so am surprised that there is drag. There is no pulsing when braking so you can imagine the precision that must be maintained to get rid of this noise.

Why can't Toyota recognize a rotor that is not true or that has thickness variations? I suspect that with wear on the rotor it COULD go away. But if the calipers stay tight to the rotor - as opposed to older Chrysler or Toyota rotors I have dealt with - the noise will continue. Give me a flat plate, precision blocks and a micrometer on a stand and I could diagnose further. But in any case, what good are the anti-rattle springs or have they been eliminated?

 

Update 30Mar2012 Fort Worth Texas 10am outside air Temp about 78 degree F.

I was backing our Prius V5 out of the garage with foot riding lightly on the brake pedal and the squeel is still there.. squeel goes away after 2/3rds way down the drive way.. and gone completely when I am out on the street.

No word from our dealership shop manager.

 

See my reply above. Your dealer should be able to feel the uneven force to turn the rotor by the mounting studs. The tire masks the difference in force when rotating. It is most likely an improperly machined rotor. Tell your dealer to replace the rotor and there should be even drag from the brake pads.

Let us know what he does. He should not have to wait for a TSB if they feel the variation in drag. I have not confrinted my dealer yet. Maybe I will call Torrance CA again in the hopes of speeding things up.

 

I started getting the "grinding" sound this weekend just after hitting 1000 miles. I took it into my local dealer and they checked it out. I am the first V owner they have that has brought the car in for this complaint. They said that Toyota is aware of the issue, gave me a case number and said that once the Toyota technicians find the problem that I can come in for service. Currently they say that it not doing damage to the car or any saftey issue, just an anoyance. Hopefully if enough people take in their cars Toyota will resolve the issue quicker.