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second problem with brake, (!), ABS, VSC

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by adllewellyn, Aug 12, 2011.

  1. adllewellyn

    adllewellyn New Member

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    Red parking brake light on, and amber (!), ABS, and VSC lights came on. AGAIN. :mad: Very hot day, happened both times right as I was parking (unsure whether it was right before or right after.)

    Last time (~1mo ago) I had it towed - and the dealership found nothing wrong with the car. They pulled historical codes for stroke sensor and open circuit in stop light switch but said there were no current issues and it was driving normally. They offered to replace fuses "if it would make me feel better."

    This time (partly because of where I was) I drove it directly to another dealership. It would drive, but felt strange (heavy, almost?) and braking was jerky and intermittent (even with smooth braking on pedal.) It would lunge while braking like rocking back and forth, and while it was very severe right at the incident it was less so as I drove.

    I love my Prius, and I am very sad to see this continue to happen. We'll see what they find. Hopefully soon, as everything is still within warranty.

    Any ideas?
     
    #1 adllewellyn, Aug 12, 2011
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I would insist that either the stroke sensor or skid control ECU should be replaced. Since this is the second time you've had the same problem it is reasonable that some tangible action should be taken besides "patting you on the head" with a fuse change.
     
    #2 Patrick Wong, Aug 12, 2011
  3. adllewellyn

    adllewellyn New Member

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    Thanks, Patrick.
    I thought I'd share what the dealer said for others' benefit - they said that the brake pedal was severely miscalibrated, causing the ABS to activate both times. I had recently had the brake pedal recall service done (at the first dealership that was not able to find the problem.) Apparently this would cause the stroke sensor problem, all the warning lights, and the strange braking behaviors. They have repaired and are now doing thorough testing.
     
    #3 adllewellyn, Aug 16, 2011
  4. prius4ed

    prius4ed Member

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    How does one calibrate the ABS system? My car seems to jerk slightly whenever I brake. Is this a DYI?
     
    #4 prius4ed, Aug 16, 2011
  5. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    You need Techstream or other bi-directional scan tool with Toyota proprietary software to set the zero points.
     
    #5 seilerts, Aug 16, 2011
    1 person likes this.
  6. prius4ed

    prius4ed Member

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    Yikes, not DYI then. What's the labor hours - I wonder what the dealer or indep shop charges to recalibrate my brake pedal stroke sensor?
     
    #6 prius4ed, Aug 16, 2011
  7. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    One hour would easily allow for the recalibration and a test drive.
     
    #7 seilerts, Aug 16, 2011
  8. adllewellyn

    adllewellyn New Member

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    well, thought i would share again -- the second time has become the third time, and apparently the brake recalibration has not solved the issue. exact same problem as previously described. dropped it back off at the dealership this afternoon, and they were VERY nice - but i'm not sure that this is fixable. it's about a month between every occurrence.

    my dad is encouraging me to talk to toyota about getting out of the car. i appreciate the dealership's hard work, but i think something may be /really/ wrong. and i am nervous now every time i drive this prius (that i love SO much.)

    any thoughts are appreciated...
     
    #8 adllewellyn, Sep 28, 2011
  9. mattnmoe

    mattnmoe New Member

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    What happened, please let me know, I have a 2008 Prius around 52K and the same lights came on and A/C started running warm. Plus a buzzing alarm sounded just as I drove in my driveway. Brakes felt like they were not normal.
     
    #9 mattnmoe, Jul 10, 2012
  10. vertex

    vertex Active Member

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    The buzzer means that the braking system is disabled. There is only hydraulic braking with no boost. It takes a long time to stop the car. When this happened to me there was water in the brake actuator connector. After it dries out, the problem goes away.
     
    #10 vertex, Jul 13, 2012
  11. charlesdc54

    charlesdc54 Junior Member

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    Hi all,
    Could leaving the cap off reservoir cause this problem, the firewall and braces have the paint removed due to brake fluid. The lights came on on the way to breakfast, left in the parking lot for about and hour while eating and shopping. Came out and was normal, did 2 more stops, and after the second all the lights came back on. I really wanted to clean all the brake fluid with a degreaser and spray terminal with elec cleaner, but want the dealer to see the mess as they left off the cap. Our new rule is to open hood and look be fore leaving dealer as this is not the first time they left one our cap off (02 Prius and Mr2 oil caps more than once).
     
    #11 charlesdc54, Jul 15, 2012
  12. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    A better rule would be to find a dealer whose technical staff is not so careless. There is no lack of Toyota dealers in the southern CA area.
     
    #12 Patrick Wong, Jul 15, 2012
    richard schumacher likes this.
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