1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Grabby Brakes

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Mauiman, Nov 10, 2011.

  1. Mauiman

    Mauiman Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2011
    43
    7
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    On my 2011 Prius Four, the brakes are VERY sensitive and bordering on "grabby" when in reverse gear. I don't know if that is common or if I should have it worked on by dealer. Brakes are fine in forward gear. Thoughts? :(
     
    #1 Mauiman, Nov 10, 2011
  2. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2009
    7,543
    1,558
    0
    Location:
    Alaska
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Well known issue unfortunately. Do a search on grabby. Happened to me twice, early on. Seems to go away over time for most.
     
    #2 spiderman, Nov 10, 2011
  3. Mauiman

    Mauiman Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2011
    43
    7
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Hope it does go away but we've had it 8 months now and it's unchanged. Since I expect them to be sensitive I can deal with it but would be nice to have them smoother.
     
    #3 Mauiman, Nov 10, 2011
  4. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2009
    7,543
    1,558
    0
    Location:
    Alaska
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    How often does it happen? Every time you reverse? Your in Hawaii right? If it is not the issue that many have experienced here, perhaps it is your rotors rusting from the humid, salt air.?
     
    #4 spiderman, Nov 10, 2011
  5. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2009
    5,131
    1,340
    0
    Location:
    Wilmington, NC
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    About once a week when rolling up to a stop and no traffic in front, put the car in neutral before braking. This will prevent regen braking and use the friction braking. This will help clean the rust off of the brake rotors.

    With the regen braking, the friction brakes are only used below 7 mph and in emergency conditions. So rust buildup is quite normal.
     
    #5 jdcollins5, Nov 10, 2011
  6. Mauiman

    Mauiman Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2011
    43
    7
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    The brakes are grabby every time, not just sometimes and it has been that way since picking it up at the dealer when new. The car is used almost daily so not sure how much rust would build up and why wouldn't that also affect braking in forward gear??? I'll try the suggestion from jdcollins5 (if I can remember to do it).
     
    #6 Mauiman, Nov 11, 2011
  7. Feri

    Feri Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2011
    761
    144
    0
    Location:
    Maldon Victoria Australia
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    I find that if I brake and then release while reversing then they become grabby but if I reverse while foot continuously and lightly presses the brake then I don't get "grab".:)
     
    #7 Feri, Nov 11, 2011
  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    56,686
    39,222
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Just had this happen, last weekend. It's very infrequent, maybe every 2~3 months, that it happens. Only in reverse, right after startup. It happened once when I was reversing to get out of a parallel parking spot: I was convinced for a moment I'd HIT the car behind.
     
    #8 Mendel Leisk, Nov 11, 2011
  9. malamalama

    malamalama Junior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 21, 2010
    16
    0
    0
    Location:
    Hawaii
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    This has happened to me a few times. Usually it's at startup and I reverse out of the garage. What I do is come to a complete stop and put the car in neutral and then back into reverse. That solves the problem and the brakes go back to feeling normal again. Others have suggested putting in park or putting it in park and pumping the brakes, but haven't tried that since neutral works and is easier.
     
    #9 malamalama, Nov 12, 2011
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)