My Brakes are Barking at Me

[TonyPSchaefer]

I remember discussing this a long time ago but don't remember that anything came of it. When I'm at a stop, my brakes "bark" at me. Sounds like a soft horn honking and comes from the front-left. Or at least, from where I'm sitting, it comes from in front of me and to my left.

I have tried heavy pressure and I have tried light pressure. Sometimes it happens and other times it doesn't. Lately, it's been doing it alot. I mean, a lot. Yesterday my carpool passenger was looking around asking who the F's honking and what at? That's when I know that it's gotten bad.

Has anyone else encountered this and what's causing it?

[Sho-Bud]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ May 17 2006, 07:44 PM) [snapback]256982[/snapback]</div>

my brakes "bark" at me.
[/b]

As long as they don't bite you ..........

[unruhly]

Tony, I too remember discussing this issue.
This is happening at a dead stand still??? Not kosher. Is there anyway you can get someone to stand outside the vehicle while it's happening? (Prefferably a Prius tech in a parking lot!). What happens if you let completey off the brakes (car in Park)? Does it stop? I bet it's the brake accumulator pump system. Sometimes hydraulic fluid can squeal as it passes through a restriction (like a valve) and it can change tone as the amount of pressure increases. Try a few stops using only the E-brake and see if it still happens.

[c4]

My car did this at every stop (brake to a stop and then I'd hear a little "toot" like someone just touched the horn) for the first 20-30km after I got it back from the body shop for a rear bumper replacement. They did no work on the hybrid systems or the braking systems at all, they just replaced the bumper and did some frame and body work.

The only other symptom that I noticed was that the 12V battery was very low after sitting in the shop for 2 weeks and drawing a large charge current from the converter, so I suspect the "toot" is likely related to currents in the inverter/converter as it went away after the battery got a decent amount of charge in it.. Have you checked your 12V battery?? Short of taking the battery right out for load testing, I'd suggest a voltage check at the very least and a current check if you can get your hands on one of those clamp-on ammeters..

[Rancid13]

The only time this ever happened to me was during the week that my husband and I were in the mountains on a snowboarding trip. It never happened before then nor since. I wondered if it was the cold temps (15-35 degrees F and very low humidity) and short trips (1/2-2 miles). We would stop at a red light, and then hear the light-horn-honking sound and there were NO other vehicles anywhere near us. It would happen every time I was stopped at a light with my foot on the brake while up there, not just every once in a while.

[TonyPSchaefer]

Ya know, the thing is that it's gotten better. It's like it was doing it at every stop sometimes 2 - 4 times at each stop on Monday but today (Friday) it's fine.

Yeah, it's at a complete standstill and ONLY at complete standstills.

[routeonedog]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ May 17 2006, 01:44 PM) [snapback]256982[/snapback]</div>

I remember discussing this a long time ago but don't remember that anything came of it. When I'm at a stop, my brakes "bark" at me. Sounds like a soft horn honking and comes from the front-left. Or at least, from where I'm sitting, it comes from in front of me and to my left.

[/b]

THANK GOD - I'M NOT CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This same thing happened less than a month after getting the car in Nov. When it was in
for servicing (5,000mile) I asked the dealer to check. They said nothing happened - no
cause.

While it happened for a short while after that, it then has completely stopped making that noise.
Has been quiet now about 3 months.

When it was acting up it would also make noise when I started and put it into park to shut down.

Now I'm not sure whether it was the cold weather or just a "break in" thing. But since your's is
a 2004 I think the "break in" explanation goes out the window.

[hobbit]

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/brakerust.jpg
.
_H*

[galaxee]

have still never heard of this...

if anyone around central NC experiences this, DH would love to see what it's about.

[TonyPSchaefer]

Thanks for the picture hobbit, but it's not brake rust.
Ya know, there are times I wish I had a camcorder, I would make a movie of it.

Yeah yeah, I know: camcorders have been out for decades now.