My wife and I are considering purchasing our first Prius, a 2017 base model. We've rented a bunch of different models through the years and loved them all, but after taking the test drive today we were shocked to find that the brake pedal seemed set very high. My wife who never had any problems with other Prius models could only put part of her foot on the pedal. Has anyone heard of issues like this with the 2017? Is there a way to adjust the height of the brake pedal? (I've looked online and not found anything so far)
It's about in the same position as most cars, and better than some. Too high for heel/toe gearchanges, but seeing it hasn't got a manual gearbox, it's fine. Try driving a different PRIUS in case there was a problem - and no, there is no adjustment. You can adjust the seat up and down, forward and back and the lumbar - which might change it. With DRCC, you tend not to use the brake pedal too much, as regenerative braking does a lot of your slowing down.
I am not sure what you are calling the base model. My trim Two is fine. A lower Trim One was introduced halfway through 2017. All 2016 and newer Prius Liftback have the same pedals and mountings.
I have not noticed a difference between my 2015 and 2017, I suspect there was something wrong with the brake pedal in your gen 3 or the specific gen 4 you are looking at. Brake pedal position should be the same on all gen 4.
Yeah, just to make sure it's not some factory defect: if they've got any other 4th gen Prius on the lot, sit in another one.
Yes, there is, but I agree with @Mendel Leisk's advice to compare with another example of the same model. The Repair Manual (more info) has an inspection and adjustment procedure, under Brake: Brake System (Other): Brake Pedal: Adjustment. Checking the brake pedal height requires some disassembly of interior trim, to get to the reference points for the measurement, which the manual shows in a diagram. Pedal height isn’t something you’d typically adjust for individual preference: the difference between the greatest and least allowable pedal height is only 10 mm (for model years 2016–2018) or 14 mm (for model year 2019), and the free play and reserve distance must also be within specified limits.
Thanks - I thought about that later. It's typically something (on previous cars) which I would check (and if necessary adjust) against specification, but not for preference. I just looked up my last PRIUS invoice - they'd changed Brake Fluid - and there is a line item: "Checked brake pedal height & hand brake lever operation". [as an aside - I wonder if they actually found a "hand brake lever" - I haven't ]
