Prius brake noise. video incl.

original pads and discs? what is happening in the video, car in ready? stepping on and off brake pedal?

 

sounds like something mechanical to me. since the brakes are drive by wire, it should be right under the engine bay or even at the wheels themselves. is it louder on one side than the other?
is your brake fluid full and clear? maybe the master cylinder.

 

The brake pads slide back/forth on locating pins as hydraulic pressure is applied/released. Very dirty pins that don't allow free travel by the pads is a common issue.

 

+1

Your car is old enough, your wheels are grimy enough, and they use enough nasty stuff on the roads in NW Indiana during the winter for the pins to be corroded.
If you have a trusted mechanic (NOT a delaer!!) have them yank the tires and do a clean and inspect.
You can DIY for next to nothing in a few hours - or you can pay a trusted wrench a hundred more or less for the same service.
YMMV.

or?......
Just wait.
A creaking sound is normal as the pads seat.
It's difficult to say if yours "sound" like they're binding without actually being there.

Good Luck.

 

I agree it sounds like it's coming from the caliper pins. Any brake shop can fix that, though make sure they know to disconnect the 12V battery during the work--standard Prius procedure.

But don't neglect the adjustment of the rear brakes. Do you use the parking brake frequently? If not, they may be way out. Again, any brake shop can fix that.

Ditto also the suggestion to check the brake fluid. If it's darker than honey, get it flushed. And that is one of the few service items best left to the dealer.

 

Brake pads don't bolt to the brake caliper assembly as they must be allowed to move freely to work properly. The pads have locating holes that the pins slide through in the caliper assembly and the pads thus hang freely for the caliper pistons to push them against the rotor. Dirty/gunky pins don't allow the pads to move freely causing premature wear, noises, poor fuel economy, lots of brake dust on wheels, etc.

7 Brake Parts Not To Be Neglected | Know Your Parts

 

In my earliest days of teenage wrenching, I discovered the miraculous "take it apart, do nothing, put it back together, all fixed!" therapy for many automotive ills. I'd give it pretty good odds in this case.

Checking out your brake caliper is only one notch up from changing a tire in terms of car-owner maintenance skills. Once the tire is off, you can see four bolts behind the caliper: two big ones, two smaller ones. Leave the big ones alone. Crack the smaller ones loose, take one out, pivot the caliper up around the other one.* See the brake pads in their notches. Slide 'em in and out by hand. What do they sound like?

Are the notches they slide in gnarly? You can slip them out and clean those up. If really gnarly, you can replace the bits of springy metal they slide in (Toyota calls that the "fitting kit").

Notice the things you loosened those small bolts from. Those are the slide pins. They should have little rubber boots on them. The boots should be intact, no leaks or rips, and the pins should, in fact, slide. Usually they will be pretty stiff on your first try, and a few in'n'outs will loosen them up again. If something seems worse, you can even slip them all the way out, clean, and regrease them, but simply freeing them up now and then (every other tire rotation, say) goes a long way, as long as the rubber boots aren't damaged.

Set the pads back where they go, pivot the caliper back down over them, tighten the two bolts again (you may need a wrench on the flats of the slide pin to hold it from turning while tightening the bolt) and you're good to go for another rotation interval or two.

* on a Prius, before flipping caliper up, be sure you've disconnected 12 volt battery.

* If you ever take both bolts out, so the caliper is completely free, be sure not to let it hang by the hose; support it, or tie it with a wire or some string so the hose isn't stressed.

-Chap