Brake groan

I want to say this has happened with every car I've ever owned.

 

As you say, you can complain to the dealer, so that if Toyota ever creates a Technical Service Bulletin, you will be on their list.

There is no hint that this forum is visited by any engineering or technical Toyota staff, ever.

 

The brake groan is a very common thing here in the Netherlands. They actually released a couple of fixes and updated those and are now preparing another fix.

Does anyone outside of the Netherlands have the groaning noise (mostly during cold weather and only usually lastst the first few feet)?

 

if I leave it out in cold and wet, yes

 

I'm gland I've never had this "brake groan" problem (knock on wood). My V is going on 17,500 miles.

 

That is normal. Do you hear it when the engine motor is running or do you hear it when the electric motor is only running? This only happens when the electric motor is only doing the work and happens first thing in the morning. When the car moves and is soooo quiet, you hear all sorts of things. No need to worry. It is normal. Try letting the motor engine start before you back up and check to find out if you hear the groaning noise when you apply the brakes. You probably won't hear it. Check the Nissan leaf forum and you will see lots of complains regarding all sorts of noise. That is what happens when you drive a quiet car. We got so spoiled over the years driving gas engines with so much noise and now adjusting to newer technology.

 

ImeanGreen,

Thanks for the explanation. If that is what folks are calling "brake groan", then yes I have it. It sounds more like a brake pump or brake assist. I hear it anytime when applying the brake at slow (going forward or backwards) speed in EV mode.

 

This is the noise I experience (note; this is not mine, but made by someone on the Dutch forum)

It happens mostly on the first few seconds of driving off and then doesn't return untill the car is left outside for the night. It mostly happens during cold weather, which we have about 70% of the year here..........

 

I can't speak for the prius c but I do have it too with my V and my regular prius first thing in the morning.

 

In the video, that is definitely a thin layer of rust on the rear discs interacting (squeaking) with the rear brake pads. I get that on my 1990 Acura Integra after I've driven through water (or slush as in the video) and you let the car sit overnight. It usually goes away after the first few brake applications.

Is this what they call brake "groan"? Is that a different noice? Does anyone have a video showing brake "groan"?

 

Just received a Toyota customer service online questionnaire. Gave a poor rating on brakes for brake groan. Let them know many others are experiencing the same problem.



iPhone ?

 

Yap. Just think about it this way. Are the prius brake pads, disc, disc caliper designed differently from any gas engine vehicles? By looking at them, I don't see no difference between gas engines and electric vehicles when it comes to design in brake pads/calipers and etc .

 

This reminds me of a friend of mine getting new rotors when he had his brakes changed (in their case it was a Dodge). The day after he noticed that rust had formed on the rotors and griped and complained. He just couldn't quite understand that this is normal on ALL CARS because all modern cars use a metallic or ceramic pad to grind / scrape a rotor to slow down and stop the vehicle. Rust will ALWAYS form on the rotors due to rain, snow, or humid environments. The wetter your environment the more noticeable this is. And it is multiplied by the length of time since you last drove the vehicle. If you drive in a desert environment such as Nevada or Arizona you will probably rarely notice this unless you drive only once a week. But essentially every time you hit the brakes you are grinding rust off the rotors. Typically in most cars it comes off after one or two taps of the brakes because the brakes are more basic in that you hit the pedal and the brake pads grab the rotors at all speeds to slow the vehicle. In Hybrids with regenerative braking the process just takes longer because they dont always grab until you are under a certain speeds and the slower speeds take longer to remove what is there. There are no issues here.

 

Savery,

What ImeanGreen is trying to say is that most non-hybrids experience the same noises but the noises from the running engine mask the noise. When he says to wait for the ICE to start, he is implying that the noise from the Prius ICE (not the electric motors) may mask the brake groan noise so you may not hear it anymore.

 

Sorry, I didn't mean to say that it would go away. Just that people tend not to hear it as much. Here's another thing to try: After you park the car for the night, don't apply the emergency brake. Also, can you post a close up photo of the brake discs before you start moving?

 

We have 2 v. They both still groan. The v3 is at 30k and v5 at 10k. Both garage kept and first cars ever to behave this way.
W