Brake failure 2005 Prius

[lwinter]

Last week the brakes on my 2005 Prius failed- the pedal went to the floor, and the ABS and emergency brake lights went on. Twenty minutes later, the brakes worked again. The local Toyota dealer was unable to diagnose the problem, and insisted that no changes were needed. The service manager is insisting that the car is safe to drive, but offers no evidence. This logic seems warped, because regardless of the fact that they are unable to determine the cause, the brakes did, indeed fail once already. Had I been going faster (I was stopped at a light), the consequences could have been catastrophic. Neither my dealership nor Corp HQ is willing to resolve this issue satisfactorily (ie replace anything that might cause such failure). Fixing it is certainly cheaper than the lawsuit that my heirs will file if I am injured or killed. Has anyone else had this problem? What did you do about it?

Thanks, LAW

[Jonnycat26]

Did the dealer pull any codes from the car, or was the car acting as if everything were normal?

[galaxee]

if the ABS light came on, there should have been a stored code to document the error. it should be on your work order.

it's a real shame, but there are some incompetent dealers out there. share whatever codes you get with the board and we'll see what we can find.

[lwinter]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ May 26 2006, 08:29 AM) [snapback]261312[/snapback]</div>

if the ABS light came on, there should have been a stored code to document the error. it should be on your work order.

it's a real shame, but there are some incompetent dealers out there. share whatever codes you get with the board and we'll see what we can find.
[/b]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jonnycat26 @ May 26 2006, 06:57 AM) [snapback]261280[/snapback]</div>

Did the dealer pull any codes from the car, or was the car acting as if everything were normal?
[/b]

[efusco]

I'm pretty sure someone over on the Priusonline.com board described a similar problem. I think it ended up being something to do with the accumulator.

I don't think this is an immediate safety risk but there certainly is something wrong.

[lwinter]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jonnycat26 @ May 26 2006, 06:57 AM) [snapback]261280[/snapback]</div>

Did the dealer pull any codes from the car, or was the car acting as if everything were normal?
[/b]

Thanks so much for your replies. The codes were: C1357, and something called a "detail code" 28. The dealer and district manager contend that since the codes are no longer showing up, the problem is fixed, even though they made no changes or repairs. My contention is that the brakes failed with no warning, which indicates a problem. They have this far not given me an adequate reason to feel safe driving my beloved Prius....if the brakes failed once and no repairs were made, what evidence is there that they will not fail again? Next time they fail I may be driving at freeway speeds - or well above Any ideas?

[Jonnycat26]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Linda W @ May 26 2006, 01:42 PM) [snapback]261377[/snapback]</div>

Thanks so much for your replies. The codes were: C1357, and something called a "detail code" 28. The dealer and district manager contend that since the codes are no longer showing up, the problem is fixed, even though they made no changes or repairs. My contention is that the brakes failed with no warning, which indicates a problem. They have this far not given me an adequate reason to feel safe driving my beloved Prius....if the brakes failed once and no repairs were made, what evidence is there that they will not fail again?
[/b]

Just a quick shot in the dark here, but was the pavement you were driving over when the brakes failed uneven? The Prius's brakes (which are rubbish in anything other than stopping on a smooth surface in a straight line) get very confused when the pavement is uneven and you're applying moderate to high breaking pressure. I've even had the brakes lock up on me in a couple of instances. There are numerous threads about this on here...

[lwinter]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jonnycat26 @ May 26 2006, 10:51 AM) [snapback]261385[/snapback]</div>

Just a quick shot in the dark here, but was the pavement you were driving over when the brakes failed uneven? The Prius's brakes (which are rubbish in anything other than stopping on a smooth surface in a straight line) get very confused when the pavement is uneven and you're applying moderate to high breaking pressure. I've even had the brakes lock up on me in a couple of instances. There are numerous threads about this on here...
[/b]

Nope, the pavement was smooth, conditions were dry and sunny, I was stopped at a light when it happened.

[efusco]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Linda W @ May 26 2006, 12:42 PM) [snapback]261377[/snapback]</div>

Thanks so much for your replies. The codes were: C1357, and something called a "detail code" 28. The dealer and district manager contend that since the codes are no longer showing up, the problem is fixed, even though they made no changes or repairs. My contention is that the brakes failed with no warning, which indicates a problem. They have this far not given me an adequate reason to feel safe driving my beloved Prius....if the brakes failed once and no repairs were made, what evidence is there that they will not fail again? Next time they fail I may be driving at freeway speeds - or well above Any ideas? [/b]

Someone here will have that code decifered for you in about 10 minutes, but I'm at work so won't be the one.



Let me try to give you a little reassurance. The Prius braking system is a triple redundant system. It utilizes a combination of the regenerative brakes, a capacitor controlled electronic brake system as well as a 'standard' mechanical/hydrolic system. If my suspicion is correct your accumulator just couldn't hold the sustained brake pedal pressure for the duration of the stop and released pressure. When up to speed it should hold fine for the duration of a stop.



It still needs to be fixed.

[Jonnycat26]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Linda W @ May 26 2006, 02:01 PM) [snapback]261392[/snapback]</div>

Nope, the pavement was smooth, conditions were dry and sunny, I was stopped at a light when it happened.
[/b]

In that case, I'd go to another dealer. You had a break failure and the dealer doesn't know why, and thinks it won't happen again since the lights are off now. If it I were you, I'd definitely find another dealer and/or call toyota corporate. I'd possibly even add it to the NHTSA complaints website, as there are other similar situations up there.