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

TSB BR001-07 Brake actuator noise

Discussion in 'Toyota Prius Service Bulletins - TSBs' started by galaxee, Mar 1, 2007.

  1. lowspeed

    lowspeed Member

    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2004
    267
    2
    0
    They just did this service on my car but did not replace the actuator...


    I still get the noise.

    I'm not to clear as if the TSB definitly states that the actuator needs to be replaced.



    --
     
  2. jk450

    jk450 New Member

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    596
    54
    0
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lowspeed @ Oct 20 2007, 06:18 PM) [snapback]528274[/snapback]</div>
    It doesn't. The tech is directed to first bleed the brakes, then replace the actuator only if the noise doesn't go away following the brake bleeding. Perhaps the tech thought the noise went away, or perhaps it came back after you got back in the car - techs don't like to pass up work.
     
  3. lowspeed

    lowspeed Member

    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2004
    267
    2
    0
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jk450 @ Oct 25 2007, 05:04 PM) [snapback]530437[/snapback]</div>
    Actually he told me they can still hear it but less... I don't think its any less, i can pretty much make it fart on command.




    --
     
  4. geeky teacher

    geeky teacher New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 18, 2007
    393
    7
    0
    Location:
    West Suburban Chicago
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    These postings are a bit discouraging. My '07 recently started making the metal rubbing on metal noise when the brakes are deeply pressed and released. It's inconsistant but getting worse. I talked my husband into buying the Prius partly because of Toyota's reputation for high quality and reliability. I feel like egg is flying towards my face! Also, he is considering replacing his totaled :( minivan with a Prius. (He got broadsided by a cheesehead broad who ran a stop sign going 50mph.) He may change his mind now that we need repairs already. :(

    Questions:
    Will this problem resurface every 15,000 miles?
    Did anyone have a satisfying experience with this problem?
     
  5. jimklausner

    jimklausner Connecticut Yankee

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 2006
    44
    1
    0
    Location:
    New Milford, CT
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(geeky teacher @ Nov 18 2007, 10:56 PM) [snapback]541411[/snapback]</div>
    I have a 2007, one year old, with about 12,000 miles on odometer. I had a noise coming from front of vehicle when I would put transmission into Drive after the car had been parked in garage overnight. The noise lessened, and then disappeared altogether when weather became warm. I had bought the car in November 2006, so the noise appeared almost immediately. Now that cold weather is here in CT, the noise has returned. It seems to occur when the car has been parked for at least several minutes in the cold. Once car has been driven, noise does not occur, but I want to check this sequence of events more thoroughly.

    I did take my Prius to Toyota Service Center twice with the complaint. Technicians could not discover cause, but offered to have me leave car overnight. This I declined at the time, but may reconsider. If I do return for attention to the noise, I will post my experience on PriusChat.

    Don't give up on the Prius. Mine has been absolutely problem free (except for the noise issue) since I bought it. And I love the MPG. Both the absence of problems and the MPG have been delightful experiences compared to the Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited I got rid off. It took me purchases of 3 Jeeps before I finally smartened up, and bought a Toyota product.
     
  6. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2004
    3,790
    152
    0
    Location:
    Park View, Los Angeles, CA. U.S.A
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    so.. what's the cost out of warranty? i have over 80k miles on my 04.

    i can bleed brakes... but... my brakes make this noise very often. it's never impaired braking performance.

    everyone i know has asked about the noise. i eventually made up an excuse.
     
  7. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2004
    3,790
    152
    0
    Location:
    Park View, Los Angeles, CA. U.S.A
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
  8. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

    Joined:
    Mar 14, 2005
    9,810
    466
    0
    Location:
    MD
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    out of warranty.... ouch.

    honestly, bleeding the brakes doesn't fix the problem long term. and it's not a diy thing in a prius. replacing the actuator is 4-5 hours plus about $1600 for the part, plus a lot of brake fluid.
     
  9. windstrings

    windstrings Certified Prius Breeder

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2005
    6,280
    378
    0
    Location:
    Central Texas
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV

    Galaxee.. do you see any real need to replace the actuator if the noise is not a nuisance?.. do you think it will go out later if we don't.

    The sound is something I have to really listen for and it only happens while stopped and its very quiet.... do you think the repair is warranted?

    I just talked to a service rep and he says they only cover " noise" the first 36K or 3 years under the regular factory warranty.... but its not covered under the extended warranty unless Toyota will vouch for paying for it.

    Since they deny there is any real danger.. .I can see their hesitance at spending the money I suppose.
     
  10. burns_fisher

    burns_fisher Burns

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2007
    60
    0
    0
    Location:
    NH
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    My brake noise...is this is?

    I've noticed since day 1 with my 2007 Prius that as I come to a stop, the brakes make a crunching sound, almost like there was sand or snow or something in there. The techs at the dealership tell me that this is normal...the regen braking. But this is not at all the same as the switchover from regen to friction braking that I became very familiar with in my 2002.

    Does anything thin what I'm seeing might be the same thing discussed in this TSB?
     
  11. windstrings

    windstrings Certified Prius Breeder

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2005
    6,280
    378
    0
    Location:
    Central Texas
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Nope this has nothing to do with it moving.. while sitting perfectly still and in ready mode with your foot on the brake you hear a chirp.
     
  12. Boneus

    Boneus New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 18, 2008
    6
    1
    0
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Ok, I think one thing definitely needs to be cleared up about this particular problem. This noise is not a crunch, grind, squeal, scrape, pump, or any type of metalic sound. It is literally a chirping noise that I think most sounds like a seal bark. I have been hearing this sound on my 2005 on and off for quite some time, and until now didn't know what it was. I have almost 60k on this car, so I am outside the warranty, and I doubt I can get it fixed. So far no breaking problems just leaving it alone.
     
    1 person likes this.
  13. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2004
    3,790
    152
    0
    Location:
    Park View, Los Angeles, CA. U.S.A
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    i've always heard it under certain braking conditions... i still do. i'm almost at 90k miles with no problems and brakes that are not worn through yet. *shrug* car works fine in every terrain too.... (braking wise)
     
  14. LRP114

    LRP114 Little Lou

    Joined:
    Jan 4, 2008
    26
    0
    0
    Location:
    Silver Spring, MD
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Thanks as always. Little Lou
     
  15. Slartibartfast

    Slartibartfast Senior Fjord Architect

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2007
    61
    1
    0
    Location:
    Twin Cities, MN
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    I started noticing this lately in the cold. We've had a major cold snap, and the last two times I took it out for more than a few minutes, I've heard the noise while at rest. I didn't notice the circumstances surrounding it the first time, but it did the seal bark in the left front last night. I had to make a tight turn around in a parking lot, so I was going back and forth at slow speed. I probably used the hydraulic brakes about five times in the span of a minute. I made the turnaround, and stopped to let my wife out, then sat about 10 seconds to wait for traffic. Before I let off the brake to take off, it made the chirp/bark about three times, then a couple more after a few seconds.

    It was about 15-20 degrees when we went out last night, and the car was completely warmed up. If I think about it, it may have happened a couple times in CA; the problem is that it was primarily my wife's car there, and she tunes out all the weird hybrid noises so she can't say whether she heard it or not. It didn't seem to have anything to do with moving the pedal itself, apart from having used the brakes several times immediately prior; I had the pedal pushed all the way down and hadn't lifted it.

    I have about 5300 more miles or 50 weeks before the 3/36 warranty runs out, so I'm not in a huge rush. I need to take it in around 33k or by July for normal service. We haven't been driving either car much since we've been here, so I don't anticipate hitting 36,000 until near the end of the year anyway. When we do drive, the commute is only 10 miles each way for both of us, and we usually go together. I'll keep an ear out for the issue, but if anyone else has seen these specific symptoms, I'd appreciate some input. Thanks.
     
  16. Massageguy

    Massageguy Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 16, 2007
    16
    0
    0
    Location:
    Ann Arbor, MI
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    ----USA----
    I also get this high squeaking noise on my 2007 (16,000 miles). It happens when I am in reverse, backing out of my driveway. My driveway sits up on a hill from the street, so I have to depress my brakes as I drive out, and then I hear the high pitched squeak noise. This is similar, but not as loud, as the noise I would get if my brake pads were worn out. Once the car is warmed up, I don't hear the noise at all for the rest of the day, until the next morning again.
     
  17. Slartibartfast

    Slartibartfast Senior Fjord Architect

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2007
    61
    1
    0
    Location:
    Twin Cities, MN
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    I don't think that's it. It's not a squeaky "I need new pads soon" kind of noise. It's more of a "If I balance the ball on my nose, will you give me a fish?" kind of noise. I think what you're hearing is just some rust buildup on your discs that's getting cleaned off or less noisy as they warm up.

    My noise will happen for no reason while already stopped, usually after a few successive stops and starts during a short time period. Since I've been running it more with the climate control off, I have noticed the "normal" actuator noise and can hear when it acts up. For your noise, just follow the "brake cleaning" procedure once every couple months, which involves shifting the car into neutral and doing a couple hard (but not panic) stops.

    Hope this solved your problem. I accept my consulting fee in the form of Zingerman's Sourdough, Cheesecake, or Magic Brownies. :hungry:
     
  18. xsmatt81

    xsmatt81 non-AARP Member

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2008
    522
    8
    0
    Location:
    Vegas
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    I'm not sure if I have heard this, will check tommrow when I leave for work. My 07' has a manufacture date of MAY 2007. Do you think this was fixed after the FEB TSB?

    I would hate to have ABS problems after my 3 year is up, if i choose to not have them check this. I will have the brakes looke at next week when I go in, and will bring this pdf to see what they think just to be on the safe side.
     
  19. gil

    gil Junior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2004
    83
    8
    0
    Location:
    Richmond, VA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    V
    I had this problem on my wife's 05 about a year and a half ago and it took several trips to the dealer to convince them of the noise and had to finally request to demonstrate it to the technician. It only happened on ours when cold, usually when the temps were in the 20s or 30s. it only happens when sitting still with your foot firmly on the brake and only before the engine warms up. They tried the bleeding first and the screech remained. The sound is similar to a motor about to seize due to dry bearings. They then ordered and replaced the actuator. Fortunately this happened just before the warranty expired as the cost showed on the repair ticket as being over $2000.

    The bottom line is don't wait if you are near the end of your warranty. The noise will likely go away this summer and then return in the fall when it gets cold again.
     
  20. philmcneal

    philmcneal Taxi!

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2006
    332
    7
    0
    Location:
    Simcoe Ontario
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    II
    lol i just bleed my brakes today, dang the noise didn't go away!!! at least i got brand new fluid in my system!!

    yeah its a bitch to get to the actuator.. godda remove the inverter, brake lines, ect ect... 4 hour job toyota says however its really more like 6 hours plus if you never touched a prius before.

    so im just going to say to heck with it! i'll live with the SQUEAL or teapot noise till my braking performance is bad.

    lol bleeding prius brakes is downright wacky, although we skipped bleeding the other components though (such as the actuator bleeding, master cylinder bleeding and the stroke simulator bleeding) i just bled each wheel once (got brake fluid in my shirt and down my armpit! not cool!) till the fluid was about to retract then i close the bleeder to prevent air from getting in. Its werid though because you don't do the usual pump pump pump and then bleed each time but rather the computer pumps it and you just open the bleeder and get ready to close it when the pumping operation is complete. the person inside the car simply needs to hold the brake pedal (they warn you not to pump as you can activate the actuator and induce air in the system again) and activate the scantool (we used the panasonic toughbook techstream!) steps to acknowledge that bleeding is complete for that wheel and its time to move on to the next one.

    wow bleeding prius brakes is a crazy animal!!! with a master tech sitting in my car took me 15 mins could have been less if I knew about closing the bleeder valve at the right timing(when the fluid is retracting). So at one point I had to start all over again doh and brake fluid is slippery... watch out!

    edit: more details... just proud that i didn't soften my prius pedal and induced an accident :p