I have a 2004 model. Whenever I slow down the vehicle gracefully (i.e. not hard stop), when it comes to about 1 second before the full stop, it feels as if the brake were released and depressed again. The speed of the car increases slightly and comes to a full stop. Do you have similar experience? Could it be due to the transition between the regen brake motor?
I have a 2004 and have never had this experience. Being aware that others have reported this, and of the explanation given in the previous post, I have repeatedly attempted to duplicate this and it has never happened. <_<
Yep. That's the transition. I usually look out for it. That means prior to that, I was actually regenerating. If I don't feel that split second "lag" from the brakes, that meant I was pressing too hard and was using the friction brakes. This is one of the ways I learned out to gauge the max brake pedal angle for regeneration.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fchung76 @ Jun 5 2006, 06:12 PM) [snapback]266300[/snapback]</div> Gotta ask ... are you the original owner or is this a 2004 you just acquired? It makes a difference in how I may respond.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fchung76 @ Jun 6 2006, 12:13 PM) [snapback]266724[/snapback]</div> If you've owned the car for a year, and driven it, then I don't have any insight for you. If the brake "feeling" is a new sensation then have a dealer check it out. If it's happened all along, it's just as others have stated ... it's the way the transition between regen and mechanical brakes (and EV power) works.
I have a new 2006 with 350 miles on it. In the testing phase of ownership I noticed this action and searched the site for responces. It is the release of the regen function and the application delay effect of the friction brakes. I only notice it when I creep to a stop (i.e. decel less than about 1 mph per 100 feet).
I've noticed the same thing with our '06 except: 1). it doesn't happen on every stop and, 2). when it does occur the car jerks to a stop with many pulsations, (brakes on, brakes off). I figured it must have something to do with the regen system. I hope a software upgrade will eventually be offered to eliminate this herky-jerky characteristic. I hate trying to explain what's happening when I proudly demonstrate my new car.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Krash @ Jun 7 2006, 10:54 AM) [snapback]267333[/snapback]</div> I don't think that is normal braking at all. I think something's broken. That sounds like the ABS, or maybe a faulty wheel sensor that is triggering ABS when you don't need it. I'd have the dealer look at it!
My 2006 is somewhere between the 2 last posters, and just like most people described it: if I brake very gently to a stop, the regen releases once I drop below a certain speed, perhaps 9 mph as some suggested. At that point, you sometimes get the *illusion* that the car has accelerated, but it is only an *illusion*, as actually all that happened is the regen braking has released. At that point, I usually need to apply the mechanical braking just a little harder, to stop where I anticipated. But, my car never does any "herky-jerky" stops. The only "solution" is to wait longer to begin braking, and then brake harder, and the transition is barely noticeable. Not that I recommend those kinds of stops, but it does mask the transition.
Search the forums for "brakes grabbing" and the like. There's TONS of prior-art discussion about this. . _H*
