Clicking Sound on Regen Braking

I have this issue in my brand new PP, and they refused to help with my brand new car warranty. What makes you think they will help you on a used car lol.

Basically they are saying "we can't fix noise, this is not a safety problem, just keep driving"

 

Can't hurt trying. It's used, but it has full dealer warranty for a year... Maybe because the warranty isn't from Toyota, they won't mind too much doing it...

 

Update us what you find out.
I want the clicking noise to end!!

 

There's a TSB (obsoleted) for this exact problem; and here we are (me included) going to the dealer, etc, etc, wasting time, going in circles. I called Corp. some time ago to get some clarity on the TSB after trying the dealer. Both won't admit there's a problem, and both won't explain why this TSB was created. Neither would explain why they obsoleted this TSB. So annoying. If you want to know more about the TSB, search this thread.

 

If you want to know more about it and you don't want to search a 17-page thread, look at post #224.

 

I’m having the same issue with my 2017 Prius about 34,000 miles . Makes a click click click noise when slowing down . I had it checked about 6 month ago and they couldn’t find anything wrong. It seems like the noise gotten louder now. Should I take it back again and have it rechecked ? I’ve heard some people on here had their axle replaced and the noise stopped.

 

It is covered under the 5 year 60k powertrain warranty...however the noise does come back (somewhere between 10k and 20k miles and more noticeable and often after that). Had mine replaced twice, last time right at 60k. I can definitely say getting the part replaced does definitely make the noise go away...for a while anyway. Now out of warranty (at 94k) and someone else replied to me very early on and said their earlier generations made the same noise and never an issue. At this point, I am ignoring the noise and just driving it.

 

This seems like a lemon law issue for you. If they are replacing it under warranty, then they are admitting something is wrong with the car that needs to be fixed. If they try to fix the same issue three times (even as the warranty expires), but the same issue keeps occurring, then it's a lemon. I think I'll continue living with my noise as well -- it's such a trashy sound for a car, but oh well. If I ever sell it, maybe I'll replace the axle myself just prior, because no one will want to buy the car with that irritating noise. I bought this car used with no noise - but if it made this sound during the test drive, there's no chance I'd buy it.

 

Readers of this thread might be interested to learn that Toyota Motor Europe still has an active technical service bulletin for “clicking noise in front of the vehicle during driving” on fourth-generation Prius cars.

That bulletin, CP-00165T-TME, “Fr Drive shaft abnormal noise,” October 24, 2019 (available by subscription to toyota-tech.eu) states that in production, the “Grease type has been changed to secure oil film thickness,” as of January 2019. The recommended repair is still to replace the front drive shaft assembly, for which the bulletin gives 43420-47040 as both the previous and new part numbers.

Unlike the now-withdrawn bulletin mentioned in post #224, this European bulletin doesn’t apply to U.S. dealers—but it does tend to confirm the theory @liquidtenmillion kindly shared about the original lubrication being inadequate.

 

Maybe 43420-47040 just needs to be manufactured at a newer date? Maybe Toyota uses the correct grease in newer ones? I assume that the 'grease type' is CV joint grease. The TSB requires 'body grease' for the installation of the axle. I bought it, and tried just re-lubing according to the TSB - hoping maybe I didn't have to buy a new axle. It didn't fix it. I don't mind buying a new axle, but not if it's going to make noise again.

 

Toyota parts had a sale: I almost bought a new axle to replace myself; but my wife can live with the noise and doesn't want to spend the money.

 

tldr: anyone with out of warranty car get this fixed by a dealer for free?

wow I'm glad I found this thread. was about to go have my driver side front breaks looked at. my car is out of warranty based on year but still under 60k miles. anyone have any luck with (norcal) dealerships with out of warranty repair (also the fact that Toyota canceled the
T-SB-0157-18 TSB)? so far Elk Grove toyota is giving me the run around; make appointment, pay diagnostic fee, etc.

I've read the posts about people having the axel replaced and the noise going away, which is good. but I've also read about people with 2021 cars having the same issue, which means Toyota still hasn't implemented what you've learned into their current manufacturing process.

 

Is the clicking sound of this thread (and others for 4th generation) the same sound I hear from my 2011, typically when coasting around a turn at low speed? It has done that ever since I've had the car, but the ticks have slowly become more prominent. There's no such sound when accelerating (as is typical of a failing CV joint)..
My '81 Mazda with with rebuilt (NAPA) driveshafts made a similar noise at low speeds.

 

I’ve heard that’s a prime symptom of failing CV joint. And, if it’s during left turns it’s right side joint, and vice versa.

(Armchair mechanic fwiw)

 

Umm ... Even if it's been doing that for over 80k miles, with no loss of grease, and no noise from the joints under power? For many years, my Mazda made similar sound even when coasting straight at low speed.

 

Yeah flung grease is a telltale sign.

 

I have concluded that the "clicking" is actually "smacking." If you take two flat pieces of metal, coated with grease, and pull them apart while keeping them parallel or nearly parallel, they make a smacking or clicking sound. I discovered this while investigating the same, but louder, sound on my rowing machine. The coil spring that provides the resistance was sounding almost like a ratchet. I took it apart and found that it was just the flat metal of the coil separating one spiral at a time as i pulled. The same is likely to be happening when the slack in the splines in the axel separate. At least that's my conclusion after hearing it for three years on my Prime which is now over 63k miles. My wife's 17 Prius does the same. I took that one to the dealership. They tried all day to discover the reason. They finally went to the lot and drove a new Prius. It made the same sound.

 

I picked up my used 2017 a couple months ago with 92k miles. It has the dreaded clicking. I assume the previous owner just ignored the noise. I know from years in the parts industry usually clicking in a cv shaft is due to grease leaked out and the joint is catching/binding however it sounds like these don't leak so the little catching isn't enough to destroy the joint. What's everyone's overall opinion on just letting it go till the joint fails. Sounds like could be a long time till it does.

 

We've been ignoring it in the regular 2017 Prius and the Prime for years.

 

The Car Care Nut (YouTube) has a recent vid on CV joint rebuild. He advocates rebuild first, and if too bad, OEM parts only.