Help: Braking distance and ABS Skid Marks

Sounds like the OP crashed and wants to blame it on Toyota, and is seeking out people on here to help them. I would be willing to listen if they were warning us about their car not working right causing a crash and to help others. But it seems that they are trying to find ways to blame the prius.

 

Fair enuff. I hope everyone is ok.

 

Thanks for the update. No doubt in my mind that that brakes malfunctioned and I would have them looked at immediately from the information you gave.
Now whether you entered that turn too fast... that is another story.

 

One lesson learned is to make sure and test your ABS when you first take delivery of the car. The other is to periodically 'wipe the rust' off the rotors with braking in "N" ... thanks to Hobbit for this earlier suggestion. I have noticed the 'rusty' sound after a day or so of rain but hadn't noticed it since A0B ... not that I was looking for it.

Bob Wilson

 

Just a thought, but it's possible the skid mark, especially only on one tire, could reflect side-slip of the tire versus true rotational "lock up" especially if you were trying to make a sharp turn at high speeds.

Also, next time you get a chance, make sure you can experience the feel of ABS in action - I read that the Prius ABS feedback is softer than most cars. When I pick up my Prius, that's one of the first things I plan on doing - find a large parking lot and see how it handles on emergency stops so I have a better feeling of when is "too close" really "too close".

 

That explanation makes the most sense to explain the skid primarily on only the front left tire as the weight shifting to the left would reduce the traction of the right tire. Does anyone know how the VSC should react to this situation?

 

I think I'd have the brakes and brake controls checked out right away, before trying to recreate anything, especially in case there are any stored codes that could be cleared after a certain number of restarts.

Other readers -- why would rotors rusty from disuse cause ABS problems? My other car is very susceptible to rusty rotors and rust pitting, partly because I've long practiced what hypermilers call 'driving without brakes', and partly because it isn't my daily driver. And it just seems susceptible to rust. While this rust does demand more brake pressure for ordinary light braking, I've never had hard braking or ABS problems with it.

 

I don't know about you guys, but why would you want the ABS to engage purposely to slow down a car for the corner?

 

What was the extent of the damage?

 

That is awful that it will take Toyota a couple of months to look at your brakes. Can you post a picture of the skid marks? I'm just curious.

Good luck with your car.

 

I'm sorry, I don't mean for this to sound harsh but it sounds as if you were just going too fast for road conditions, lost control and are needing to get out of a ticket. You admit you tried to activate the antilocks but if you hit something loose (gravel, etc) then there's only so much they can do ~ they cant overcome physics.
As for rust on rotors, it's a a common condition especially on higher end cars and it only makes the brakes a bit grabby for the first activation or two.
Again, no disprespect intended but it just doesn't sound like a problem with the Prius.

 

Maybe your previous car had a bit more of a sporting nature than the Prius (it just about had to) and a bit more grip? Maybe it had better tires (again, it almost had to)?
I pushed my car a bit hard around a couple of corners and found it's a lot easier to upset than the previous car I had and that was no sports car either, believe me.
The little skinny tires we have to have in order to get great mileage sure cost us in the handling department.

 

Skid marks indicate that there is a problem with the car.

It would be nice if technical details were analyzed instead of posters motives. On the braking software issue, posters jumped to the "physics defense" without trying to understand what the are was doing, or if it should be doing that.