TSB BR001-07 Brake actuator noise

I finally got this TSB taken care of on my '07 ... and with just 400 mi left on factory warranty!

I had been hearing what sounded like a seal barking under the hood for the last year. I had asked Toyota of Glendale about it on multiple occasions, even showed them the TSB, but they "could not replicate" the noise and so refused service.

I got the same treatment from them regarding the wonky Coolant Pump TSB. I asked on multiple occasions about the unusual whine, gargle, whirr but got no action. (in fact, this is what motivated me to google and so first came upon PriusChat)

I went so far as to call Toyota Corp. customer service, but the rep who "investigated" my case sided with the Dealer. The noises were not observed by the technician and so therefore no work happens. My word against theirs, (whatever happened to 'the customer is always right'?) Keep in mind, both noises occur in cold conditions, both ambient and engine operating temps. Those conditions are rare during normal service department hours in SoCal after driving through heavy traffic to get to the dealer to complain about weird noises in the first place.

As you can surmise Toyota Glendale did not meet my customer service expectations. Your mileage may vary, but this was my experience with this particular dealer. Both TSBs were addressed at Toyota Pasadena, no hassle. And rightfully so because they were real issues. It finally got "cold" in California so the noises were loud and frequent, that or folks in Pasadena have better hearing.

Thanks for the helpful forum.

 

Prius is in the shop as I type this getting the squeeky seals removed from underneath Glad I found this thread. This forum rocks. BTW it is getting fixed under extended warranty I purchased when I purchased my prius.

 

Well extended warranty decliened the repair saying that is was a noise issue and not a failure of a part. How did you guys get extended warranty to cover the repair? Im pretty pissed at toyota now. It is a known problem so there should not be a restriction of 3yr 36k on the repair.

 

Well now toyota corporate said they will honor the repair so I have to bring it in the dealer this week to get it fixed.

 

Toyota corp authorized the repair even though im out of warranty, 64k miles, 06 prius. Got the car back today and it sounds like a water gurgling sound under the dashboard. Oh and the brakes still make a seal bark sound. The tech drove with me and confirmed both noises. He said there may be air or something in the coolant iine that needs to be flushed out :-/ He turned on the heater and the gurgle went away, turned it off it came back.

Now let me see if my brake sound is the same as you guys are getting, when I am sitting at a traffic light, in the parking deck etc, I hear a sound like seals barking under the hood of the car. It sound like the left front. If I press the brake pedal in all the way to the floor, I can make it happen almost every single time. Is this the sound others are getting??

Also any ideas what the gurgle sound could be? Needless to say they have the car again tonight, cant believe they did the repair in one day! Maybe thats why there are problems. Ill keep you all informed of what happens next. For now im in a 2010 camry, not a prius, but at least its a car.

 

The gurgle sound could be air trapped in the engine coolant loop. Did you have your engine coolant changed?

 

I dont know what they did when they replaced the accutator so maybe they did something with the coolant. I called the dealer today and she told me the tech is working with toyota's tech department to try to figure out whats going on with the car. So here I am day two almost done and still no car. Hope they fix it, I miss my prius

 

Just got a call from toyota, and the lady told me the gugrgle noise and brake squeak are both gone but she wants to keep the car overnight and test it in the morning. So hopefully its truely fixed this time.

 

Got my prius back this morning and so far gurgle and seal barking free! The tech said him and another tech spent 10 hours on it yesterday bleeding systems in the car. He mentioned brakes, invertor, and transmission. I am just happy to have a bark free car now

 

Does anyone have a sound file of this sound?

Does this noise replace the brake accumulator buzzing noise?

 

I have a video of the noise, if I get a chance tonight ill throw it up on youtube.

 

T-SB-0307-08 replaces BR001-07. Part number correction.

 

I have had a lot of trouble with this same issue on my 2008 Prius.

I took the car in at around 25,000 miles (back in May) and they replaced the brake actuator and then had to bleed to brake system 5 times to get it to fully stop (was covered under 36k mile warranty). The problem stopped until about 2 months ago after putting another 25,000 miles on the car.

I took the car in to the dealership mentioning that problem on Tuesday of this week and they still have the car today. They say that there is air in the brake line again, so they are investigating it and should have it ready for me tomorrow if all goes well. I'm also having a couple of other strange issues, but I will save those for another topic.

I will post as soon as they get back with me tomorrow to let you all know what they find out.

 

Well, It looks like I don't get my car back until at least Tuesday of next week. They are going to replace the Brake Actuator a second time, since they say they have traced it down to being it again that is putting air in my brake lines. Has anyone else had to have their Brake Actuator replaced twice because of this problem?

Luckily they are covering it at no cost because the part was replaced within the past 12 months.

 

Does the noise happen when the brake accumulator pump runs?
Is the noise in addition to the "buzzing" normal brake accumulator pump or a CHANGE to it?

 

The problem I am having sounds kind of like a seal barking and happens usually when I am stopped and holding down the brake pedal. It doesn't happen every time that I am stopped, but it was getting more frequent over time. A lot of times when I would hear this, I would look over and even though the brake was fully pressed down, the yellow arrows would be going on the screen like it was trying to apply electric power to make my car move.

 

We have had the brake squeak noise repaird as described in the TSB -- The brake fluid was replaced with 4 pints by "bleeding" the line. Do you think this will resolve the problem and not have us in 'hold' mode for the future? We are at 30,500mi with our '07. The actuator replacement as quoted by Galaxiee was something like $2300. If this repair is a prelude to the actuator failure, should we now go out and buy a x-tend warrantee and play it safe? We are living off SS, so any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

The brake squeak noise does not imply loss of functionality. It is not a safety issue. I've noticed this on my 2004 when at high altitudes and have not bothered to take any action.

Therefore, if this is your only concern, and since you've pointed out that you are a pensioner (and probably don't need to spend money without good reason), I recommend that you do not expend $$ on this particular issue.

 

When you take it in for the antilock brake issue, have them fix that too.... thats what I plan to do..... the antilock brake issue is in the news.. another recall....opps.. maybe thats only on the GenIII

 

This bulletin only covers through 2007... but my 2008 exhibits the same symptoms. Is there an updated TSB that covers 2008? If not, is there any chance I could talk a dealer into doing the repair on my '08 even though the TSB says 04-07?