Problem with Stuck Brakes? 2010 Prius IV

For me, all of that points to brake rotors that got good and wet, then sat a long while.

I experience similar, maybe not as extreme, lately. I'd washed the car, very thoroughly, since we'd had a lot of road salt. Then it sat in the garage for about 10 days before next use. put it in reverse, nothing happened. I stepped on the gas a little, still nothing happened. I pushed a little further, and it popped loose and started rolling, with a bit of a bang.

 

If this was my car I'd re-grease the pins on the calipers and inspects the pads and rotors. But probably first thing I'd do if it didn't seem too serious would be to get it up to freeway speeds and put in neutral and do some hard braking, because in neutral you use 100% mechanical brakes, not regen brakes. It's a super easy method to clean rusty rotors.

 

I'd say it's even more effective than that. No need for showboating with freeway speeds or hard braking. I usually get a new accumulation of rust rubbed away in two or three normal stops at neighborhood speeds. Usually, if I have a passenger, if they didn't notice me shifting into neutral for those two or three stops, they won't have noticed I was doing anything special at all.

 

I had that as well, gradually diminishing, and still a hint at the beginning of the next drive. Wearing off the surface rust takes a while.