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Heavy brake force req'd while stopped

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by ForTheGlory, Feb 20, 2008.

  1. ForTheGlory

    ForTheGlory New Member

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    I've been noticing recently that when I'm stopped at a traffic light, I need to hold the brake pedal down pretty hard in order to have no arrows on the screen. If I'm holding light brake force while stopped, the battery will often power the Electric motor and send some power to the wheels. Is this normal?

    I suppose this is similar to a conventional automobile, where the idle engine torque is still sent to the wheels while stopped, and can even help hold the car in place on an incline. It just seems strange that I have to press hard on the brake in order to not pull power from the battery.

     
    #1 ForTheGlory, Feb 20, 2008
  2. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    My 2004 has done that from day one. Don't worry about it. Matter of fact, in normal driving it's best to ignore the MFD. I would much rather drive defensively than gawk at a display screen
     
    #2 jayman, Feb 20, 2008
  3. Qlara

    Qlara New Member

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    I realize that too....if you don't press the brake 'hard' enough the energy-flow activity is still showing on the screen, even though the car seems to be in dead-stop condition.

    Is it because the HSD always juice the electric motor to create that 'creep-forward' movement like in Automatic?
     
    #3 Qlara, Feb 20, 2008
  4. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    Yes, the HSD simulates the creep of an automatic transmission. Pressing the brake a bit harder tells it to stop, because you aren't going to creep.

    Tom
     
    #4 qbee42, Feb 20, 2008
  5. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    Well, it's normal for "auto trans creep" to be on at a certain brake pedal pressure, but not at a "hard" brake pedal pressure, just "firm". It could be the switch is out of adjustment. This switch also turns on the brake lamps, and that is the easiest way to tell if the switch is out. Just place a mirror behind your car or park in front of a whitish wall and test to see how much brake pedal pressure it takes to light the brake lights.

    It's easy enough to adjust, or have your friendly neighborhood Toyota dealer do it for you (if you feel it's out of adjustment after the light test).
     
    #5 David Beale, Feb 20, 2008
  6. ForTheGlory

    ForTheGlory New Member

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    "Firm" might be a better word to use than "hard"; really it's just that the brake force to turn off "auto-creep" is noticeably more than that which is required to keep the car from moving.
     
    #6 ForTheGlory, Feb 21, 2008
  7. Bob64

    Bob64 Sapphire of the Blue Sky

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    You could always push the park button or shift into neutral with the parking brake... the problem is remembering to switch back to drive.
     
    #7 Bob64, Feb 21, 2008
  8. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    That is normal.

    Tom
     
    #8 qbee42, Feb 21, 2008
  9. Bob64

    Bob64 Sapphire of the Blue Sky

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    It takes some getting used to.

    For example, my parent's Honda Accord 2004 creeping was extremely aggressive and required substantial brake pressure to get it to stay still. (I tried driving it after I got my prius and I'm scared of driving it- it's so freaking aggressive when creeping that it shifts into 2nd gear and before you know it, its creeping at 25mph or so.)
     
    #9 Bob64, Feb 21, 2008
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