car pulls to the right

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by ronlewis, Mar 24, 2026 at 3:50 PM.

  1. ronlewis

    ronlewis Active Member

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2016
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    Location:
    texas
    Vehicle:
    2001 Prius
    Model:
    One
    and there's a slight ticking sound when the brakes are applied over the last few mph. No ticking if I just coast to a stop, or if I use the emergency brake only.

    I know, I hate problems that don't throw a code. Using the sniff test to diagnose is a red flag. It doesn't help that I'm also hard of hearing, and don't always wear my hearing aids. I recall it sounding worse at times, the ticks louder, but maybe I just had my aids on that day. Now, it's started pulling, so I need to identify and fix.

    My first guess was the rear passenger wheel bearing/axle hub, but I don't hear any noise when I jack up and spun the tire - The front passenger spins OK too, but maybe I hear a slight ticking noise - I can't push the brakes to see it if makes the noise from that. Front driver's side quiet and spins easily.

    So, I'm not thinking wheels, bearings or struts. Maybe a caliper stuck, or something in the rear drum brake broken or frozen/dragging? Any guesses. How to quickly determine whether a caliper is stuck?