1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Clicking Noise Behind Dash?

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by TheWhiteWedge, Sep 15, 2022.

  1. TheWhiteWedge

    TheWhiteWedge New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2022
    17
    5
    0
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius
    Model:
    XLE
    Hello,

    I just purchased a new 2022 Toyota Prius in the XLE trim and a very attractive Wind Chill Pearl color. I love it, it's so efficient, surprisingly spacious, and easy to drive.

    Now, only 1 week ago, I started hearing a clicking sound, almost like a fuse clicking very loudly. This only happens when accelerating or braking (it's one loud click when accelerating and getting to around 20 mph, and a few clicks when decelerating), and there is no rattling sound nor does the sound happen when sitting still. I did check that it wasn't anything loose in the car, and I tried this both with the CC on and off and the radio on and off.

    Does anyone have any idea what this could be? I'll take it to the service in the coming weeks, but I just want to make sure it's not anything common or expected (though I certainly do not think so)

    Thanks for your help!
     
  2. TheWhiteWedge

    TheWhiteWedge New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2022
    17
    5
    0
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius
    Model:
    XLE
    EDIT: Took it to the dealer and was basically told the usual "the car does that" but I'm really not convinced the clicking should be happening. Just recently it started doing it more and more frequently when braking and rarely when accelerating but either way it is very loud and very obnoxious so I'm going to take it into the same dealer in the next few weeks and ask kindly for them to look through it for me.

    Again if anyone has experienced this, especially if you think this is normal, please let me know!
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    prius do make a lot of funny sounds, but that one is not familiar.

    after five posts, i think you can post a recording of the sound.

    ask them if you can test drive another with a tech to see if it makes the sound.
     
  4. davecook89t

    davecook89t Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 10, 2016
    1,057
    789
    0
    Location:
    Washington State, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Four Touring
    The clicking on braking has been described before in this forum. My Gen 4 car does it, but I never noticed it with our Gen 2, so I thought it was most commonly experienced with the Gen 4, but now when I do a search in Prius Chat for the term "clicking on braking", I see a multitude of posts across all generations, so nothing to worry about, I guess, but annoying. (Not quite as annoying as the rattles in the dash of my Gen 4, however.:eek:)
     
  5. Elektroingenieur

    Elektroingenieur Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2017
    2,515
    3,253
    9
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Three Touring
    Depending on how fast you’re accelerating, this might be the brake test, described in my previous posting.
    Perhaps you mean a relay clicking, and there are several of those in the instrument panel. Fuses in automobiles are usually silent; the loud kind are typically used only by electric utilities.
     
  6. TheWhiteWedge

    TheWhiteWedge New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2022
    17
    5
    0
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius
    Model:
    XLE
    Yes it definitely sounds like a relay or some sort of electrical clicking and it happens at least once and pretty loudly when accelerating, then a couple of times while decelerating. However it does happen every cycle of accelerating and braking. I have had other hybrid cars in the past and these sounds have never occurred before, and it is pretty much impossible to drown out the sound with the radio.
    I will upload a video later today or tomorrow showcasing the sounds.
     
  7. TheWhiteWedge

    TheWhiteWedge New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2022
    17
    5
    0
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius
    Model:
    XLE


    So when accelerating you can hear it pretty clearly at the 2 and 8 second mark (both are two different instances of accelerating), then when decelerating you can hear it at the 20 and 23 second mark (both are the same instance of decelerating.

    Let me know what you think!
     
    #7 TheWhiteWedge, Sep 24, 2022
    Last edited: Sep 24, 2022
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    agree, sounds like a relay. must be new on gen 4
     
  9. TheWhiteWedge

    TheWhiteWedge New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2022
    17
    5
    0
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius
    Model:
    XLE
    Do you know if they’re supposed to be this loud? I have never had it on any of my past cars, hybrid or otherwise.
     
  10. TheWhiteWedge

    TheWhiteWedge New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2022
    17
    5
    0
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius
    Model:
    XLE
    It can be heard over the engine accelerating and even through the radio and the clicking happens every. single. time. and sometimes multiple clicks when I'm accelerating or braking. If it's not normal, what would be the fix for it?
    I will be taking it to the dealership again in a couple of weeks, so it would be nice to come in with some idea of where to start.
     
  11. Elektroingenieur

    Elektroingenieur Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2017
    2,515
    3,253
    9
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Three Touring
    I can’t think, offhand, of a relay in the instrument panel that should open or close on acceleration. The fuel pump control circuit has a C/OPN (circuit opening) relay that closes when the gasoline engine starts, but that relay is in the engine compartment.

    I wonder if there might be a loose object, such as an electrical connector, inside the instrument panel, that’s making contact with something else as the car accelerates and brakes. The hard work would be to find it and to do the disassembly, after which the dealer could apply some self-adhesive foam or felt from the Interior Noise Kit, Toyota part number 08231-00801.
     
  12. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
    23,064
    14,971
    0
    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Is there a shop nearby with a dyno? Maybe the car could be "accelerated" and "decelerated" on rollers, which would reveal if the clicking noise also happens then, or only when there are real g forces on the body.
     
  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    i don't. do they have another one you can test drive?
     
  14. TheWhiteWedge

    TheWhiteWedge New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2022
    17
    5
    0
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius
    Model:
    XLE
    It has been happening even at low speeds (such as when maneuvering to park at home) so I want to say it may not be a loose object? it also never happens when reversing and even when accelerating or braking briskly or softly the noise is made. I am not sure what it is but I will do all I can to have the dealer actually take a look at it before I reach out to the salespeople (Who were much more willing to help me out) or Toyota customer service.
     
    bisco likes this.
  15. TheWhiteWedge

    TheWhiteWedge New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2022
    17
    5
    0
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius
    Model:
    XLE
    Took it to the service shop over the weekend and got told basically the same thing. That it is just a noise that happens. In this case I rode with the assistant service manager, and he told me that it sounded like the brake actuator that is accommodating, whenever I’m accelerating or braking. He also told me a story of how when he was a shuttle driver he heard a similar noise on an older Prius, but that was much louder. They offered to diagnose it (which would likely include a tear down of the dash) for $219 (even if they found nothing) but I declined it for the time being. It’s still ongoing, but at least nothing is wrong with the car, the electronics, or how it handles. I will likely be following up with them on the first service in four months and just pay the diagnosis fee.

    No, knowing what it is, has anyone else experience, similar, clicking regarding the brake actuator? If so, is this something that can be remedied somehow?

    Thanks again everyone for all of your input I really appreciate it!
     
  16. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
    23,064
    14,971
    0
    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    I can talk about a noticeable brake actuator click that happens in Gen 3. As described here, there are two solenoid valves in the Gen 3 brake actuator that switch it between its "OPS normal" state and its "fail-safe" state.

    The way the Gen 3 system is built, those two valves remain in the "fail-safe" state nearly all the time. They only get switched to the "OPS normal" position at the very top of the brake pedal stroke, as the first thing that happens when you start to press the pedal. That makes a click. (It's really two valves clicking, but at the same time, so you just hear one click.) And when you fully release the pedal, they go back to the fail-safe position. Another click.

    There isn't anything there to be remedied somehow: it's the system doing what it's built to do. What would be of concern in a Gen 3 would be if it ever stopped making those clicks.

    Now, the Gen 4 brake system is built differently, and it sounds like the clicks you are describing are happening at different times than in Gen 3. The explanation might not be exactly the same. But there's a good chance of it being the same kind of thing: a click made by a system doing just what it's built to do. If anyone gets curious enough what is actually clicking, it can probably be tracked down in a way not very different from how I tracked down those valve clicks for Gen 3.
     
  17. TheWhiteWedge

    TheWhiteWedge New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2022
    17
    5
    0
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius
    Model:
    XLE
    I see! My only gripe is it’s very loud. Like it can sometimes be heard over the radio and it is unlike any noise I’ve heard in any other hybrid car I’ve owned. The dealer told me he heard something similar on a much older Prius…but this one has <2000 miles! Sigh…Perhaps one day I’ll get used to it but for now it is pretty obnoxious.
     
    #17 TheWhiteWedge, Oct 12, 2022
    Last edited: Oct 12, 2022
  18. TheWhiteWedge

    TheWhiteWedge New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2022
    17
    5
    0
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius
    Model:
    XLE
    Huge Update: After making a case with Toyota, talking to the service manager, and about 10 days in the shop, I finally got the issue resolved. I believe it had something to do with the radiator, but I am yet to hear back from the service advisors about what the cause was. Regardless, it's something that definitely was NOT supposed to be happening and I am glad I was able to resolve it under warranty.

    Thanks, everyone for all your help!
     
  19. Chelsea Felker

    Chelsea Felker Junior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 9, 2021
    7
    2
    0
    Location:
    Pittsburgh, pa
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Mine just started clicking behind the dash today but mainly while I’m idling. And I just had the radiator replaced. I have almost 248,000 miles
     
  20. a2058

    a2058 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 6, 2022
    34
    10
    0
    Location:
    Westchester, NY
    Vehicle:
    2019 Prius
    Model:
    XLE AWD-e
    I had those sounds when I got my 2019, for me turned out to be some rocks rolling around in the plastic underpanels, upon acceleration and deceleration they would click and crack, after a while they went away, or I stopped noticing them.