About 4 weeks ago I got the 2025 Prius Plu-In Hybrid XSE Premium. At about 66 miles on the odometer I noticed that there is a scratching/grinding-ish sound and pedal sensation when the car transitions to friction braking. If I press the pedal quickly it goes straight into friction braking, and I hear/feel it. This is only heard/felt at low speeds (20MPH or below). This is NOT ABS going off. I know what that feels like, and have experienced it in this car as well. I took it to the dealer and they claim it’s normal. They said pads and rotors look fine. However, I tried another Prius on the lot, and it does not behave this way. Anyone else here experience this? My previous car was a 2022 Lexus ES300h, and it did not have this issue with brakes.
My Prius gets that way every time it has sat parked over a rainy night. I fix it, the next time I drive it, by shifting to Neutral for my first 3 or 4 stops. That rubs off the flash surface rust that has formed on the rotors, making the grinding/scratching/vibration.
I see. Mine just never ever goes away. I even tried that thing where you take the car to 40mph and stop about 5 times over a few days. But this happens at every single stop, or when just creeping forward with foot on brake.
If you're really only at 66 miles over 4 weeks, clearly it's getting very little use, and it may have been sitting around the dealer some time. There could well have been a fair bit of build-up, and you're not managing to get through it with your usage pattern. I'm pretty certain it can improve, and if you did keep working at the stops it would help. (Do the stops in neutral to get those pads working.)
My 2021 Prius Prime Limited PHEV brakes at over 40,000 miles are still whisper-quiet. I hardly use the friction brakes; so, chances are that the brakes are still brand-new. This was reported by other posters, too. It seems to be a manufacturing defect. Perhaps there is some something wrong with the pad-wear indicators or other brake hardware.
