Do you think your GEN II has a brake problem.. Please vote..

Yes! As noted on another brake related thread there is a "braking void" period after hitting a bump. Once the wheels feel the resistence of the road the braking becomes more effective but there is a very brief period where the brakes are not effective. I've already replaced my front bumper facia and support beams once for ~$1200.

 

Me too!

 

No problems here on my 2009

 

No problems after 3 weeks of ownership. I believe this brake hesitation some have noticed happens in other vehicles, as I have experienced it (CRV, Elantra). I wonder if it is present in some Prius but not others, or some drivers have subconsciously adjusted to it. Is there some database or website that tracks collision data, as this may provide the "hard evidence" that a problem exists?

 

Hard to say that I consider it a major problem...I always just thought the brakes (particularly the ABS) sucked. I've been posting that opinion on these boards for quite some time.

I voted: Yes - I want it fixed.

For as minor as the problem may be, it's still unsettling, and I just had it happen the other day at 60 MPH on dry roads when I was braking somewhat heavily as I went over a rough overpass. It's spooky, and for as many times as I've had it happen, I've yet to really get used to it.

If there's a code change for the Gen II that's analogous to the one they're said to be rolling out on the Gen III, why not say you want that code change applied?

~J

 

Now I start to wonder if this some of these "problems" are simply people looking for them since they are so present in the new. Much like a person hearing about symptoms of a disease starts to feel them. I have had my prius for 2 years now, and have found that yes it is a different car, it doesn't always act like a traditional system, and have no problem with it. As far as breaking goes many people that never had Anti-lock breaks think there car isn't breaking the first time that the anti-lock kick in. As far as the prius regen goes, the only oddity I have ever noticed on the breaking is a slight change at 8 mph. No this is not something that concerns me. This is not something that I remotely consider dangerous. It is just however something that occurs. And lets not forget that toyota is not the first company to issue a recall, and in case you forgot the Wrangler tires that would just explode, the Ford wiring harnesses that burn up, Gm with airbags that wouldn't deploy. Lets not get caught up in the sensationalizing of the news media. It is sweeps month you know.........

 

Brakeless in Seattle

I posted in the Summer with an issue with my brakes needing replaced just after I hit 16K miles. The front brakes were completly worn - I do not drive heavy. Now my brack brakes are in question. When I first brought to the dealer attention I was ignored and was told that was how a Hybrid brakes. I felt my brakes were not engaging fully and I had to really put the brake pedal hard to the floor for a complete stop. This is still the feeling I have with the car.

Now I am very concerned that this is not a hybrid feature but a defect.

I have been a Toyata owner for more than 23 years. This is the first time I ever felt I purchased a lemon. Mechanically - this the worst car I have ever owned.

 

This is an incorrect assumption. If you had hit a pothole while slamming the brakes, the phenomenon would not have occurred because friction braking would be in use. ABS would activate as required by road conditions (braking may be interrupted to one wheel for an non-human-perceptible amount of time).

This is why it is not considered a safety issue by some people. In a real emergency, all braking power is fully available.

 

Re: Brakeless in Seattle

Your issue appears unrelated to what's been in the press. If the pedal acts as you describe, I would find another dealer since it's obvious your current one is incompetent.

If I push the brake pedal down to the floor, I have to retrieve my teeth from the dashboard. What you describe is not how the car is intended to operate.

 

The losing-brakes-for-a-split-second-on-a-speedbump issue has been reported here since 2004, but AFAIK Toyota has only ever claimed it's supposed to work that way. Now we find out that Toyota is correcting it for the 2010 model. So, it was not supposed to work that way after all then, right Toyota?

What annoys me is that the press never mentioned anything about this before, yet now it's suddenly a life-and-death situation according to some in the press.

 

Re: Brakeless in Seattle

thank you for your reply....I agree it is a different exp from what the ABS is presenting BTW - I have that too but ABS is not the problem.

To note - the hard brake is not all the time. Which is REALLY annoying since I never know when it will happen I tend to tap first then hit harder in case it decides this time it wants to not engage.

Yes - I have been to two Toyota dealships to no avail. This Sat I am getting another check up to determine my brake situation - will post update.

Bottom line for me - still like Toyota - just not right now.

 

Re: Brakeless in Seattle

One of the considerations in figuring "actual cost to own" a vehicle is maintenance costs. The Prius maintenance costs are allegedly lower than they otherwise would be because brake repair is almost a NO COST item. The Prius uses regen braking, an electrical not mechanical process, actually reducing wear so the brake pads should last longer not shorter.

Your brake pads probably wore excessively because the re-gen was NOT engaging thereby relying excessively on the mechanical brakes.

This is a stretch but ....... if you are pushing the brake pedal too hard you could be causing this. This is probably not the case but in interest of fairness I felt I should mention it.

That said ....

My guess is something is wrong and your mechanical brakes are engaging too soon. Try a different dealer .... call around and talk to service managers. Say you took your car for an oil change and they found your brake pads were in need of replacing. Imply NOT a Toyota dealer but someone who might be trying to sell you a brake job.

I think you'll find everyone "amazed" that your brakes are bad this soon.

Which dealership told you this was a "hybrid feature"? The actual mechanic has lied to you or passed on BS. I would be talking to the SALES and/or the general manager about this. Or maybe even the owner, if there is one.

I live in the Bothell area and haven't been thrilled with any of the dealer service departments I have dealt with. They seem to pass-off all my complaints of a new sound as normal for a hybrid.

I hate getting lied to. Although the Prius is beyond my expertise I do recognize BS and that's what you were given.

 

After posting the above reply I went back to the original thread and others about the brake problems.

I voted "Yes" because I am now concerned that we have accepted a problem as "normal" that might not be.

Unfortunately I have very little confidence in Toyota at this time. However, I also wonder about the timing. It seems like the moment it was announced that Toyota passed GM this stuff started coming out.

I have less confidence in the corporate media than I do in Toyota.

 

Sorry to be pedantic, but it is "brake", not "break". Two different words. If you don't want to come across as semi-literate, please spell it "brake"

 

2007 Prius..... no problem, notice a split second of it at low speeds when changing from regen to friction, not enough to be a problem

 

I voted yes as this has happened from day one maybe a dozen times. It is just as others are describing on the 2010 model. I went so far as to fill out the NHTSA safety complaint to track this issue as not just to the 2010 model. My family has owned a Toyota since 1970 and think they have lost a little making sure their customers are informed.

I'm more worried about someone else driving the car that does not know about the issue and has an accident. I just know to avoid pot holes at low speed.

 

I can sometimes feel the transition from regenerative to friction braking. It is really momentary - if you speak "one second" the transition is over before you've started on the "n" in "one". It doesn't bother me.

I don't think I've even noticed the ABS kicking out/in when braking over sharp bumps, as some people say happens.

 

I've never had a braking problem in my 2004. I've had emergency stops on ice and VSC kick in when turning too hard. The car has always performed as it should.

 

I have an 05 and the first time i felt this loss of braking after hitting a rough patch while coming to a stop sign down hill. It really startled me. I can recreate this momentary loss on any rough surface or railroad crossing. I have never had a car that did this before, but I have become used to this and am ready for it when it occurs, whether it could be dangerous in some situations , maybe. I do leave plenty of room and am not out in rain or bad weather. But it sounds like the same condition the 2010 has.