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Brakes squeak in cold weather / at altitude

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by fabgo, Feb 22, 2006.

  1. fabgo

    fabgo New Member

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    Jul 15, 2004
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    I took my 2004 Prius to Yosemite last weekend in quite cold weather (18F), and noticed that the breaks started squeaking.

    What happens is when I depress the brake pedal fully after the car has come to a complete stop, every second or two a squeaking sound is emanating from the brakes or their vicinity. It sounds like something is slipping as torque is applied, resulting in a squeak or high-pitched squeal. I tried switching to park after stopping, and still get the same thing when I press the brake pedal.

    Once I was back down in warmer weather the squeaking sound slowly went away (after 24 hours). Anyone else experience something similar or have any clue as to what this might be?
     
  2. hawkjm73

    hawkjm73 New Member

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    Apr 19, 2005
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    Phoenix, Arizona
    While I do not know the cause, I second that my car does it at well. I only notice it when the car has been sitting for at least several hours in ambiant temps in the 30's. Once I've been moving a while and the car warms, it goes away. It dosen't get much colder here, so I can't say how long it would last in really cold weather. I amin Phoenix, and I think the altitude is a bit over 900 feet from sea level. I would imagine, though, it is a part of the hydrolyc brake system. I'm not too worried about it. I did have it in to Toyota when I first heard it, and they said not to worry. Don't know how far I would trust such a statment though, as no warning lights were on.