Brake issue

New to the forum, read a ton of posts, some problems similar to mine, but always slightly different in 1 or two ways. So first of all, United States car, 2008, Toyota Prius. Base model. When this problem first started, I could here a noise when braking, usually only if I brake medium. Light braking would usually prevent the noise. Sometimes, after braking, hitting the gas doesn't move the car, unless I pump the gas pedal a second or third time. It feels like the brake is sticking. After a few weeks, the brake warning light came on, as well as VSC, ABS, and (!). My brakes also started to grind really hard At that point, I went and got my brakes replaced, they were nonexistent, codes cleared, no big deal.

A few weeks later, My radio started to fail, so I replaced the 12V battery, which literally did nothing, although now my voltage is slightly higher than it previously was. I took a drive on the interstate, and when I got home, I began to hear a grinding noise. Brakes got replaced for free (600 miles since previous change), I am waiting for all the lights to come back on, but I was wondering if anyone has experienced anything like this.

I feel like the issue might have something to do with the synergy drive, or the inverter water pump. I checked the inverter pump for turbulence, and it's there, but it goes off and on. I have a feeling it isn't supposed to turn on and off in cycles like that, but I'm not 100% positive on that. Any help / advice would be appreciated. Looking to get this fixed just in case a hurricane comes, lol. My other worry is that the Synergy drive itself is the issue.

 

Well, I thought back to a few other things. The first initial noises from the brakes came after an alignment and rotation. I did one of those resets with pins 4 and 13 on the OBDII plug, and I just gave my car a test drive. The MPG was higher than it has been in a while, and that was in heavy traffic. I will give it a better test-drive tomorrow when there isn't so much traffic, just to make sure. The brakes don't appear to be making the strange noise any more either. I have been averaging 22 MPG for the last 5 months.

I can't check the codes just yet, because when they replaced my brakes last time, they cleared all the codes. If, they do return, I will obtain them and likely just deal with a dealership, since apparently nobody knows how to work on hybrid cars. In the meantime, I will research the two recalls. I researched a bit on the pump recall, but I was under the impression that it was no longer covered after 2013. Of course, I only read about it briefly.

 

Disconnecting the battery in the trunk does not clear codes. Cute that you think that. The 22 mPG of course comes from the brakes being on. Did you read what I was saying? My brakes literally got replaced and destroyed within 600 miles. Something is causing them to not work properly. No, the Ebrake is released, as it should be. I'm not sure if you fully understand the situation that I explained, but it's all good man.

 

Well, the reason that I say disconnecting the 12 volt battery doesn't clear the codes, is because it doesn't. When this problem originally started, my first thought was that the 12 volt battery was messing up, because I had not realized I had a serious brake issue. When I changed the battery, all the warning lights were still there, clock didn't lose time, and all my radio stations were still there. Later, through this forum, I learned, that in a prius, disconnecting the 12 volt battery, doesn't clear the warning lights, but instead, you have to short pins 4 and 13, or use an OBDII scanner.

Now, today, I can the car a test drive out of traffic, and my gas mileage, although better, is still low. The brakes aren't making the noise anymore, but they still feel like they a holding. The reason for me doing the short, was because Firestone already cleared the codes when they replaced my brakes, but the "noise" started after an alignment, which is where shorting the pins came from, it was to reset everything. I truthfully don't think that the "brakes" are the actual issue. This is because my radio has also sort of stopped working (the speakers on the passenger-side make noise, but driver side does not. As I stated previously, after doing some research on these forums, I am considering an issue with the synergy drive, or the coolant pump.

I checked the coolant pump for vibration, and it is clearly doing something, but it seems as though the pump turns off periodically. As I asked earlier, I was wondering if that is normal. I appreciate the help that has been offered, but my main concern is whether or not the pump should be turning on and off. If it isn't supposed to do that, then that is probably where my problem lies, and I have many symptoms similar to the coolant pump dieing. That is why I am so curious about it. I have a feeling, that if the pump isn't working right, I am missing some voltage for the radio and / or the brakes.

 

This is the other solution that I am leaning toward. I am just worried about the dealership over-charging me.

 

Well, you may not have read all the previous stuff, lol. I'm not worried about how to clear the codes. I have an issue that is causing a brake problem, as well as my radio being weird. I have a feeling that it is a bad inverter pump. So, here is my question. Should the pump be going on and off?

 

I put the car in ready, and it seems to be going on and off. I could feel turbulence, but then I couldn't. This is likely where I should start with the issue then. I will look into the recall information on the inverter pump then, although doubtful I get anything for it. At this point, I just want it replaced. Thank You for your response! I will keep everyone posted with updates. I am likely going to leave this procedure to the dealership to do, simply because I don't have a garage, but I feel Toyota should be able to handle this.