so ive put just over 1500 miles on my car. i noticed this noise the first day i started driving and its become more pronounced as of late. ive searched the forums for answers, but have yet to find anything similar to my problem. When i ever i i brake, there seems to be some sort of electrical feedback/high pitched humming noise and it in creases right until im coming to stop, at which point it stops. i dont know what causes this or if anyone has insight to offer, but this noise beginning to get to me. help!
You must be searching for the wrong terms, because this is one of the common questions on PriusChat. If the noise is a high whine, then what you are hearing is the regenerative braking system. It takes the kinetic energy of the car and converts it into electricity to store in the battery. The motors and the inverter both contribute to the whine. If your noise is more of a ratcheting sound coming from the driver's footwell, it is the brake accumulator pump. The Prius uses and electrical pump to generate hydraulic pressure for the power brakes. You can hear it buzz about every third time you brake. Tom
wouldnt you think dealers would tell folks about this as it is so different? I guess if they knew they might!
It's funny how long it can take to notice something that is there all the time. Some people go for a month before they see the flashing car-inside-a-key symbol on the dash when the car is OFF, and they get all panicky.
Yes. It's part of the normal operating mode of the car. If you want it to go away, you'll have to get another car (specifically a car without regenerative braking). I actually think the observation was quite relevant; just a comment about how we can all of a sudden notice something that was always there.
Actually I just noticed mine doing it around a month ago... the high pitched sound. It was after I got the "rock stuck in the brakes" sound so common to postings here. The "rock stuck in the brakes" sound eventually went away as it was supposed to, but that's when I started to notice the high pitched sound. Perhaps it was always there, but I drive with the window open and never noticed it before.
