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

Brakes - Scared the SH!T Out of Me

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by disc0din0, Jul 9, 2009.

  1. disc0din0

    disc0din0 New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 7, 2009
    23
    6
    0
    Location:
    Annapolis, MD
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    While driving back from the coffee shop this AM I was coming to a red light so I hit the brakes. The traction control light came on the brakes started pulsating and making a crunching noise.

    I can understand this happening if it was slippery outside, but it was 75 and Sunny this AM and no water/snow/or any other slippery stuff on the road.

    Thoughts?

    Dino

    P.S. Taking car to shop to have it checked out, along with the cargo net holder problem.
     
  2. jay_man2

    jay_man2 jay_man_also

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2009
    1,246
    143
    0
    Location:
    Manassas, VA
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Sounds like you tapped the brakes so hard that the ABS engaged. The sounds and pulsating you describe are typical of an ABS working.
     
  3. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2006
    18,058
    3,073
    7
    Location:
    Northern Michigan
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Any bumps or chuck holes in the road? Hitting a bump can force the system out of regen and into ABS braking.

    Tom
     
  4. Lloyd9

    Lloyd9 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 5, 2008
    88
    6
    0
    Location:
    Vancouver
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Bumps in the road have caused this for me. It seems when the wheels 'leave' the road causing a sudden change from thier current spinning pattern the ABS appear trying to regain control.
    It happens a few times for me, usually on the same stretch of road.
    first time(s) scarey - you'll get used to it after a while.
     
  5. Genoz World

    Genoz World ZEN-style living

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2008
    797
    21
    0
    Location:
    La Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    toms suggestion is valid as hitting a bump or series of them will trip the ABS, causing it to vibrate as you applied the brakes.

    also, did you spray some armor all or tire dressing? this can cause an initial strange behavior from the pads.
     
  6. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2004
    15,140
    611
    0
    Location:
    South Puget Sound, WA
    Vehicle:
    2013 Nissan LEAF
    Model:
    Persona
    ok, then tell me the light changed suddenly when you were less than ½ a block away and i could understand it.

    but you really should have been easing off the speed much sooner, light touch on the brakes to

    1) save friction brakes
    2) maximize regen (might as well since you have to stop somehow)

    but as far as that feeling goes... were there any manhole covers??? because i have had that happen to me a few times and its because those manhole covers is like being on glare ICE...around here we have a few on the road in a traffic circle which i guess i find hard to understand (there is a middle area which would allow maintenance without any traffic holdups...but then again, i am not a traffic engineer so what do i know??)
     
  7. disc0din0

    disc0din0 New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 7, 2009
    23
    6
    0
    Location:
    Annapolis, MD
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Thanks for all the info everyone. But I don't believe that I caused this problem by not slowing down or speeding up fast enough, and if a bump in the road activates the ABS then I'm sure we'll see a massive recall on the GenIII Prius soon.

    I'll let you know what I find out from the dealer.
     
  8. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2006
    18,058
    3,073
    7
    Location:
    Northern Michigan
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    You won't see a massive recall because of this issue. ABS from a bump or manhole cover is well known from the Gen II Prius. It is simply one of the quirks of regenerative braking and the HSD system, and is mostly an issue of perception. Once you know about it, it's not a big deal.

    Tom
     
    1 person likes this.
  9. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2004
    15,140
    611
    0
    Location:
    South Puget Sound, WA
    Vehicle:
    2013 Nissan LEAF
    Model:
    Persona
    i agree. other than the momentary shock to the senses which realistically lasts about 28 times longer than any danger imposed, its really a minimal issue.

    i live with wet roads 8 months out of the year. after a while, you get used to it. can anticipate it, etc.
     
    1 person likes this.
  10. seesfar

    seesfar New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2008
    38
    1
    0
    Location:
    east texas
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Possibly oil on road?
     
  11. wfolta

    wfolta Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2009
    366
    146
    0
    Location:
    Washington DC
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    A bump in the road can activate ABS on any car. You'll be laughed at if you suggest that this will trigger a massive recall.

    The difference is that the downshift-like regenerative braking of the Prius cuts out when ABS kicks in. It seems like this transition could be made smoother by Toyota, but then maybe that would cause other problems.

    I haven't experienced this yet, but now that I know about it, I'm a bit more prepared. I'll have to brief my wife, who doesn't drive the Prius much but will be driving it for over a week when relatives are in town.
     
  12. GreenWithEnvy

    GreenWithEnvy New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 23, 2008
    81
    5
    0
    Location:
    SE Wisconsin
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    This happens in my Honda Odyssey as well. When I first got it thought it was unusual, but now used to it.
     
  13. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2004
    15,140
    611
    0
    Location:
    South Puget Sound, WA
    Vehicle:
    2013 Nissan LEAF
    Model:
    Persona
    ABS by definition only works if coefficient of friction is pretty much constant since that is how it judges how it will brake.

    with multiple road surface conditions (on those like 18 inch wide white crosswalk markers, i can spin my tires on them, just hard to time it right...but have done it before on my Zenn) having smooth effective braking is not gonna happen 100% of the time, but we dont need it that often anyway... 99.5% will be ok.

    the OP has a valid concern because the first few times it happens, it does give you a jolt... but still pretty much harmless (as long as your heart is in good shape that is!!)
     
  14. RickFlashman

    RickFlashman New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2009
    141
    31
    0
    Location:
    Winter Park, FL
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    While ABS systems have gotten better, since I got my first one (in a brand new '96 Blazer) they've always been easy to fool with braking on railroad tracks, bumps, etc.

    This is really a case of "its a feature" and not a bug. When something on the road forces the tire to loose traction while braking, the result is that wheel keeps spinning faster than the other wheels that are braking. The ABS is programmed to interpret that as a spin/slip and initiate ABS braking procedure. The sensitivity to this has been reduced over the years by most car makers, but at the expense of not kicking in until there is a more significant amount of slip. Some conditions like heavy snow have also been known to fool the systems (most newer ABS systems evade that by only allowing 'x' number of activations within a set time frame, hence self-disabling in heavy snow).

    I always advise someone when driving a new car with ABS to do one controlled (safe) panic stop, so you become familiar with the braking system.

    Though if you try a panic stop in a Mercedes/smart be prepared, they have the feature where they judge the speed at which you press the brake, and if it reads as a panic stop, it presses the brake HARD DOWN for you. Though it does make the car stop so fast you think you threw an anchor out the window. ;-)
     
  15. 12parsecs

    12parsecs Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2009
    56
    21
    0
    Location:
    MD
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Tried this earlier today, and it was a bit startling. It sounds much higher in pitch than any other ABS system i've heard, which would indicate that it applies/releases the brakes much faster than the older systems i'm used to.

    Neat!
     
  16. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2006
    18,058
    3,073
    7
    Location:
    Northern Michigan
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    The Prius also has this feature. It works shockingly well.

    Tom
     
    1 person likes this.
  17. RickFlashman

    RickFlashman New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2009
    141
    31
    0
    Location:
    Winter Park, FL
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Makes sense everyone else would adopt it. Mercedes has never enforced a single safety related patent and allows anyone to use them.
     
  18. Sandy

    Sandy Hippi Chick

    Joined:
    Apr 28, 2009
    860
    53
    0
    Location:
    Ocala,Fl
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Those that choose to use profane words to get their point across simply lack a more educated form of expression. This does not mean they should be labeled as "narrow-minded" but perhaps "linguistically challenged"


    BMW has this as well......
     
  19. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2006
    18,058
    3,073
    7
    Location:
    Northern Michigan
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Wth does this mean? I hate it when dumb A$$ people drag this big-worded s*#t into f***ing conversations.

    :D

    Tom
     
    3 people like this.
  20. rcsting

    rcsting Toyota Fanatic

    Joined:
    Jul 20, 2008
    282
    111
    14
    Location:
    Gold River , California
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    :thumb: