Squeaking sound from wheels during rolling start/Brake Noise (merged)

Anyone notice a squeaking sound coming from somewhere in the tires when driving the car for the first time of the day?

Could it be the brake pads rubbing on the rotors? I've had that happen on other cars and it goes away when you use the brakes once and clean the rotors off.

I don't think tires should squeak when they are going down the road in a straight line.

Yes, and I find it very annoying. Please let me know if you find out the solution. I plan on bringing it up when I bring my car in for an oil change, which will not be for a month or two..

Yes! Same thing on ours too. My wife drives our Prius IV much more than I do and she started noticing the squeaking noise about the second week after we got it (purchased Aug. 1). She kept telling me about, and I'd go out and take it for test drives and wouldn't hear anything. Finally a few days ago I heard it too - always happens at very low speed, and goes away after a few minutes. The strange part about this noise is that it's not rhythmic, like an out-of-round rotor or something. It sounded to me like maybe a squeak in the shocks or something. But sure enough, after a few moments the noise disappears.

Tumbleweed's comment re: brake pads rubbing on rotors might be the story here, if they're dirty. We have a horse boarded at a small farm near us, with a long dusty gravel road leading to the property. My wife almost always hears the squeak when she gets back in the car to leave; once she's out on the highway and back into town, the noise is gone. Sometimes she also hears it when she leaves the house - again, always at low speed. So it makes sense that a few presses of the brake pedal might be cleaning something.

Very bizarre noise, very intermittent (always LOVE trying to explain these types of noises to a mechanic!). She thinks it's getting worse; I'm not so sure about that. But I think maybe a trip to the dealer is in order to find out for sure. We've got another two-plus months before our oil change service and I don't know if we should wait that long if something more serious is going on.

If anyone finds out the source of this noise, please post. Those hard-to-explain, "now and then" noises are the worst!

Thanks,

Eric

try taking off your hubcaps and see if it goes away??

I hear the same type of sound - only when starting up cold, as when driving it the first thing in the morning - although to me it does sound rhythmic - sounds as if a piece of sheet metal is rubbing once per revolution...

agreed.

Listened to this a bit more today. Seems to be coming from somewhere from the front, on the passenger side.

Yes and I'm certain it's the pads against the rotors. Irritates me no end as I brag about how silent it is in EV until the only things youhear is skeeek! - skeeek!
I'll let my dealer know at oil-change

wow! im not the only one!

So i have the same issue as everyone who has responded to this post. squeeks coming out of a cold start at low speeds.

SO i took it to my dealership for my 5k oil change and told them about it, and OF COURSE they could not repeat the problem during the 2 hrs they had it. They suggested leaving it with them all day when i have time.

SO ANNOYING!

Brakes do that. Most cars are noisy enough that you don't hear them. Prius brakes are worse than most since they don't get much use. You can clean the brakes by forcing the car to use friction braking. Find an open stretch of road, get up to 40 mph or so, shift into N and apply the brakes to slow down. Repeat a few times and it will wear off the rust.

Tom

Yep, I have it too. Be interested in hearing what a dealer has to say about it.

I have the same problem with my Prius. I took it to the Toyota dealership today and said it was the plastic hubcaps over the tires. They drove two other 2010 Prius's while I was there and they had the same problem. The guy told me "You aren't going to be the only one with this problem, we can usually lube he tire and the sound goes away, but this different." He said its a cosmetic problem, not a mechanical one, but agreed, it made the car sound cheap and was annoying. He'll be calling me in a few days with what the factory has told him that we can do.

Thanks Karalyn.

Brake Noise

I purchased 2010 Prius 3weeks ago. I noticed a noise(squeak) Whenever I apply the brake at that time when I picked up my new car from dealership. So the next day I went to the Toyota service center and heard "Every Prius break system makes that noise and it is Normal".
Is it true?? The dealer said it comes from the hybrid system.... After three weeks driving I've come to doubt that every Prius owner can stand the squeak noise and Feeling. Is it really normal? Does everyone hear it?

Re: Brake Noise

I have never heard a squeak. When braking there is a noise that sounds something like a subway train braking (others have noted that too), but that's not an unpleasant sound, and I wouldn't describe it as a squeak or squeal.

Re: Brake Noise

The regenerative braking system makes a whine, similar to the motors on a subway. It isn't terribly loud or annoying, but it is obvious. There is also inverter switching noise, which is at a higher pitch, but still a whine.

If your squeal sounds like normal brake squeal, then your brakes may need to be cleaned. Forcing the Prius to do mechanical braking will clean off rust and dirt. Find an empty stretch of road, go up to 40 mph or so, shift into N and brake to slow down. Repeat a few times and your brakes will be shiny and clean.

Tom

Re: Brake Noise

The sound that I hear sounds like a low (meaning not very loud) metallic (tin-like?) noise, I mainly hear when only using regen brakes. If I really stop, or 'glide' without any regen, I do not hear anything. Even when I do hear it, it is usually only with the windows open.


From all I have seen read, and heard, this is normal for a Prius.

any updates?

Same thing here. Squeaking started hppening about 2 weeks after purchase. Took it back to dealer and, of course, the noise didn't occur--so the mechanic found nothing, even after looking at the brakes. For me the squeaking seems to happen when it's very humid outside -- not always in the morning like others have mentioned.