My Brakes are Barking at Me

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I asked this in a nother posting and was told basically the same thing. Did replacing of the actuator cure the problem?? I complained on my last dealer visit just before the warranty ran out and I'm hoping it's still in their records...
And the sound is more like a chicken clucking, or a sea-lion (moaning for an anchovy), and is much more noticeable when I start up, with foot on brake and taking the parking brake off.

 

I want to know the issue too. Cause ours is getting worse everyday. And the dealership is worthless here.

 

When I first saw the title of this thread, I thought, "That's funny! Barking brakes! Wonder what that's about. I'll read it later."

Then today, I was driving my Prius and noticed that they do bark! They have been doing it all along and I had just ignored it because I thought it was normal! Then I read this thread and, yes, that's what mine do, too.

They "bark" all the time! They "bark" when I apply the parking brake, they "bark" when I shift gears. They "bark" when I press the pedal all the way down.

At this point I don't mind it, but I'm concerned by the posters who said that it gets worse or louder as time goes by. Not sure whether I should try to get it fixed.

ROTFL! Yes, you nailed it exactly. They bark like a sea lion. Maybe I should give them some fish? Or at least spend more time at the beach?

 

Hi everyone, just want to know if anyone know if the actuator is actually the problem? Took the Prius05 car back in 2006 and the dealer didn't fix it at that time. Until recently, there are issue at the break pedal and I started to dig into and found this report BR001-07 Break Actuator Noise. Brought the car back to a different dealer and showed them this report. Their respond was this is a outdated report. They have refused to fix it. The dealer also told me that they had replaced the actuator in the past and the noise still exist after replacement. Their conclusion was not problem. I told them that if the actuator is not an issue, they better find out where is the noise coming from. They gave me a quote for around $3000+ if I want to replace the actuator.

I'm not sure what Toyota is going to do yet.. Most likely "Use As Is".

 

Maybe save the oil from cans of Tuna and lube the linkages! LOL

 

But seriously folks...
When I take the car in next, for just this problem, and they do figure it out, and if it poses no problems I'll post it here. In any event I'll let you all know how the visit goes. So far, Round Rock Toyota (Texas) has been good to me...no runarounds, B.S., just decent service. If they mess up, they fix it or make up for it.

 

Although it is true that TSB BR001-07 was superceded by T-SB-0307-08, the content of the newer TSB remains essentially the same as the old.

If you can document that the problem existed during the 3 year / 36K mile warranty period, maybe you can escalate your issue to the Toyota Customer Experience Center.

If you can't get a warranty repair, I do not think it is worthwhile to spend $3K on a noise issue that does not affect the functioning of the brake system.

 

I am wondering if anyone knows of a T-SB on the brake actuator that includes the 2008 Prius, since the latest I've seen (T-SB-0307-08) only includes '04-'07 vehicles. I also welcome tips or comments on what follows.

I just bought a used 2008 Prius with 22,000 miles on it and am new to Toyota and it's dealerships; my warranty expires in the middle of 2011. As New England temps dip, my car is making the "barking" noise as brakes are held when car is stopped, as at a light, during starts, parking, etc. In-between the barks, there is usually a tapping noise. It happens both when the engine shuts down and (less noticeably) when it comes on during a stop. I'm attempting to attach a zipped mp3 file of the noises (plus some rustling on my part), so we'll see if people can play it.
View attachment brakenoiseshort.zip

It's very cold today, so I will (again) try to get verification of the noise at my local dealership, so I can get the brakes bled and see if a new actuator is needed. Many thanks to those who started this very helpful resource and to those who have contributed to an educated and supportive Prius community.

 

The "Bark" is due to air bubbles in the brake hydraulic fluid. They make noise as they bass through small orifices. The Bark in my 2004 brakes was eliminated by bleeding the front passenger brake. If the gaskets in the actuator is letting air in, you will need a new one (mine was OK). It has also been noted that this problem is aggravated at low air pressure (like in Denver).

JeffD

 

Thanks for replying. The noises sound like they are coming from the passenger side in my car too. Did you also have the tapping or knocking between "barks" before your brakes were bled? Or did others before they had a brake actuator replaced? Has anyone been told what is going on with the tapping? As in the recording I posted above, it seems that the bark noise often turns the tapping on and off.

 

The actuator is located on the firewall on the passenger side so that's where the "Bark" is heard. I had the Bark, but didn't hear any tapping in my 2004 Prius.

JeffD

 

I have this in my 2008, which is not covered by the TSB (it specifically only mentions 2004-2007).

Even though I can demonstrate it upon demand the Dealer tech says he can "find no problem".

Frustrating!

Even though I can induce the sound at any time, it's usually more prevalent (and "squeekier") when it's cold, and more likely at higher pedal pressures.

 

We have an 07 Highlander Hybrid that we just purchased with 49k miles on it and the brakes bark at us as you all have described. We bought the car from our local Lexus Dealer and part of the deal was to have the noise fixed as part of the sale. Well we dropped the car off today and as I suspected they said the noise is normal and of all the searching I have done I don't see any type of TSB available for this year.

Any suggestions?

 

With your equipment and skills I would think that you could bleed the brakes in your Prius DIY.

JeffD

 

There is no "extra braking system." There is regen and there are friction brakes. The car blends them as it sees fit. The barking that *I* get doesn't require any sort of hard press on the pedal. Comes with very gentle pressure, actually. What I'm saying here is that your dealer is making stuff up. It apparently isn't a safety issue, and if it only happens to you when you stomp the brakes, then there's no worry.

So I'm going in for a coolant pump "campaign" tomorrow. And I'm going to take the barking TSB in with me. I'm out of warrant, of course. But maybe I'll have them bleed the brakes. I'm not prepared to pay for actuator replacement, but it sounds like bleeding might be the ticket. Would like to get it solved before my next trip up to Tahoe - the ONLY place it happens, regardless of temp.

After all this time and all these instances, I'm amazed that we don't yet seem to have a complete picture of this thing. Equally amazing is how my service department has never heard of this. Why are the consumers usually so much more in tune with what's going on than the "experts" these days?

 

That's not the point. I have too much I *want* to do to improve my car already. It's still under warranty, Toyota should fix it!

 

Took mine in for an oil change on Saturday, 1/8. Had them listen to it. Told them that I was aware of the TSB and that it did not apply to my '08. They said they would look at it and see if they could get Toyota to apply it to mine.

They called back when the car was ready and told me that they were able to get it through Toyota. The first step is to bleed the brakes and see if it goes away. If the sound remains, then the next step is the actuator.

They said they did bleed the brakes and the sound is gone. I noticed no sound while driving home, but that's the only time I have driven it since the fix.

I'll drive it again in the next day or so to check for it.

 

Hello, everyone. I wanted to report that my 2009 Prius is experiencing the same "toot" or short seal barking noise issue as reported in this thread. This is the second time I've brought this issue up with the dealer service and they have stated it is a "normal" thing. Well, they can call it normal but I find it to be an annoying noise to listen to. My car never made this noise when I bought it and used it for several thousand miles. Besides, if it can be resolved then it shouldn't be considered "normal."

I will see what I can do about having this known issue covered under my current warranty since I own a 2009 model. I take it this is why they claim it as a "normal" thing so that they don't have to deal with the costs involved for fixing an issue that is not considered life threating to the consumer.

 

My 2008 'clucks' as well, most noticeably in the winter (which is about 9 months out of the year here).

I did mention it to my dealer last year (part of a list of stuff that didn't get fixed after an accident). They fixed everything on the list, but said that clucking is a normal ABS sound. This is the first car I've had with ABS, so I swallowed their line. It would be helpful if the TSB could be extended to all 2nd Gen models (therefore honored by ALL dealers)!

For me it's not a big deal, I just want to be sure the brakes will work when they have to!

Jim