So the brake surge is still there, despite recall

The Ford Fusion has the same issue. Education and awareness are the only answers at this time. I experience this quite often given the poor quality of roads in the area that I live.

 

Or not, if liskipper is any indication.

 

Deep cover troll? Does that make him a...mole troll? (sorry, couldn't resist...)

 

Not hostility, just impatience. As indicated, this has already been debated ad nauseum and it's clear from the post that you have nothing new to add.

If you feel it is unsafe (and I would bet my bottom dollar that you would be in the minority on this), then sell it. If you feel as I do, that it is simply an idiosyncracy of the car and/or technology and is within the bounds of reasonableness, and that it is entirely and easily addressed by slightly modifying your driving style, then perhaps you can understand our impatience.

 

I had a 2010 Honda Insight and it did the same thing. I have felt this in my 2010 Prius as well. I learnt it was something that was very common with hybrids. It has never caused me concern though. I just apply the brakes harder and I stop. As one poster said that they almost ate the steering wheel because of how well the car just stopped.

I won't bash anyone for their concerns on this issue. For some it can be very disconcerting to suddenly feel like you are surging and have lost braking power. I felt the same way when I first felt it in my Insight. It was much worse in the Insight too. My best advice is to just enjoy your Prius for all its quirks and uniqueness.

If one feels that the transition between regen braking and friction braking is too long or makes them uncomfortable, I would suggest maybe purchase a non-hybrid vehicle when you are ready to trade in. VW has a wonderful TDi that gets very good mileage. That could be a good option for some.

Cheers,
Bruce :cheer2:

 

Or the revelation that the driver had experienced the so-called "fault" numerous times before, yet did nothing to change his driving behavior (such as braking sooner) to avoid an accident.

I've experienced it exactly once - I was driving down a steep one-lane road, there was a large pothole, and I knew it was likely to happen. I was really only annoyed at the loss of regen - that was a nice hill, and I could've used the battery charging!

 

Today I had this happen and went "ah, so *that's* what that "surge" feels like. My main disappointment was that once it went into loss of regen, even after things stabilized after the pothole the regen didn't return. I guess you have to let off the brakes and then reapply to get regen back?

 

I think it's a time-delay thing. I think regen is minimal for the next 30 seconds or so. But, as I said, I've only personally experienced it once, so what do I know?

 

I noticed this yesterday, hitting a wet manhole cover. From what I could recall and sense, it wasn't as bad as before the software update. It actually felt to me like what ABS feels like in the winter when it kicks in. I also think the tires on the vehicle make a difference as well, as some may provide better grip to begin with, thus helping negate some of the traction loss causing the regen-to-friction delay.

 

I agree with you on the condition of the tires. I never did experience the brake delay issue until my OEM tires were almost down to the wear pads. Then I hit a manhole cover with a slight recess and felt the regen kick out. Knowing what the issue was I was able to press a little harder on the brake pedal and regain my decel rate.

I remember thinking "so that is what this brake issue is all about" So, if you know your tires are getting worn, you need to leave yourself a little extra stopping distance, which is true with or without regen braking.

 

It is most assuredly still there, and it is really is not a big deal unless you are tailgating someone at 2 feet. Id say it happens once a month to me, only when im in the regenerative braking zone (IE: Not in panic stops) and going over a uneven surface. It feels like the tires loose traction for a second (they dont, but thats how it feels) and then in less than a second the brakes come back. I think the ABS or ESC is pondering stepping in but decides against it, probably because the wheel speed sensors are momentarily out of sync. Its a case of the computer being too fast trying to react, and if the other option is reacting too slowly when i am actually about to spin out or skid, im okay with that.

Anyone who loses an ounce of sleep over this issue needs to sell their car and go buy an Aveo.

 

I had the same experience several times loosing some braking at the end depending of the street surface etc,, but also experienced something more dramatic than that !! the ABS decided to lock my front wheels in a hard stop (3 times in the last year) I have never had this before with any of my old cars, must be the price we pay for having a hybrid vehicle

Still after 2 years driving the Prius when I switch cars from my Honda CRV I feel that the breaks are not working correctly, this is something Toyota needs to fix to make it work better including the brake pump that sound very loud hopefully 2012 comes with some of those improvements!

 

Well that is just the opposite of what ABS is suppose to do. I would have your brake system thoroughly checked over.

 

This is called "Brake Assist", and serves to reduce stopping distance in an emergency. The Prius senses both pedal pressure and application rate for the brake pedal. If you press fast and hard, it assumes that you are in a panic stop situation and applies hard braking faster than you can do it yourself. It is a feature, not a bug.

Tom

 

We post this every so often: the word is "lose", not "loose". If you "loose" your brakes, you set them free or toss them at someone. If you "lose" your brakes you no longer have them.

Tom

 

I agree with Qbee, this sounds more like the Brake Assist feature, applying full braking force during a panic stop. The wheels don't actually lock, but do sound like they are pulling chunks of pavement out of the road.

Had my previous car had this feature, it would have prevented considerable damage in an incident where I almost avoided a collision. Full brakes a half car-length earlier would have been sufficient.

 

I just experienced that last week after having the car for over a year.

I had tried full effort stops when the car had a few hundred miles on it to see how the car reacted, but when I did that I didn't apply the brakes suddenly so missed the panic assist.

Last week I was going about 70 in traffic and some bonehead pulled right in front of me going a lot slower. I was boxed in by traffic so my only option was to grab a bunch of brake fast. It was impressive. I wouldn't want a high performance car thinking for me like that, but it's a nice feature in a tranportation appliance.

It also seem to take most of a second for the brakes to release after I took my foot off the pedal. I could do without that, but overall like the Prius brakes.

I use them firmly once day, usually approaching a freeway off ramp. One quick braking action a day from 65 or 70 down to 35 keeps the disks de-rusted and everything exercised and ready to work at it's best when you really need it.

 

On my daily commute, there's a decent sized hill that I go down and it's got a couple of manhole covers in short succession with a light at the bottom. As I come down it, I hold in max. regen (without disc), and every time I get to the covers, if I can't swerve to avoid them gently I ease up on the brakes and re-apply once I'm over them. It seems to be the only way to defeat it. I've noticed that the harder into regen you are, the more likely you are to lose it going over an uneven surface.

I'm glad to hear the confirmation that I'm not the only one who "doesn't get it back" after the bump goes away - no amount of light pumping I've found returns it, it's all disc down to full stop.

-Iain

 

Yes, the regen goes away afterwards, but you still have full braking power available if needed, which is what many people suggest pressing on the brakes harder to obtain. Otherwise there is a short reduction in braking power as it applies the same amount of friction braking as you had been getting from regen.

I've sometimes wondered if the transition from regen to friction is aided by accelerometers (which are definitely available, as the VSC system uses some). Otherwise I imagine it would be quite difficult to get a smooth transition from friction to regen at 8 mph.

 

Actually, the regenerative braking is not restored until you completely lift your foot off the brake.

XT1060 ?