Hi all, I recently purchased a used 2005 prius. Everything is fine and dandy and i love the car except for an electrical sound which sounds like a buzz. it usually happens when i brake or when i start to accelerate. Also does anyone know of any good places to have prius checked out in Chicago IL. Thank you in advance!
Does it sound like a ratcheting or buzzing sound? Does it come from down around the driver's footwell? Do you hear it every third time you brake, or thereabouts? If so, what you are hearing is the brake accumulator pump. The Prius can't use engine vacuum for power brakes, so it uses an electrically driven booster pump. The ratcheting sound is normal. Tom
Yea, it happends alot since i am in the city. It is a buzzing near under the steering wheel. Can i get this fixed? the sound is annoying and i am wondering if it will damage the car. thanks
There is nothing to fix. It's doing what it's supposed to do. The only exception is if it buzzes frequently when you are not using the brakes. If it does this you have a pressure leak in the system. Tom
Yes, all Prius make this noise. If the accumulator pump runs for 1-2 seconds and stops, all is well. If the pump runs for 2 minutes continuously then you have a problem that needs to be looked after.
