2008 pulls to the left on brake

It's going to be a problem with the hydraulic friction brakes. That's why you only get the pull at low speed.

Tom

 

Did you get the printouts from both alignments before & after? Could there be frame damage? (Probably not since it only happens during braking.) Do you have the repair orders from both trips? I presume they returned the car to you in it's original condition. You can contact the county's Consumer Affairs Office and get a copy of the Lemon Law booklet. It might also be available through the county's website. In NJ you can not file a claim unless the vehicle has been out of service 20 days or three trips for the same defect that "substantially impairs the use, value, or safety of the vehicle" and the manufacturer has been notified in writing that you may have a claim.

I don't know how south you are but here are some contacts:

Lemon Law Unit
NJ Div of Consumer Affairs
P O Box 45026
Newark NJ 07102

973-504-6226

e-mail: [email protected]

Burlington County Consumer Affairs
49 Rancocas Rd/P O Box 6000
Mt Holly NJ 08060

609-265-5054

The county has an office by Sears in the Moorestown Mall.

The Lemon Law is in effect for 2 years/18000 miles whichever comes first.

Keep us posted & good luck.

 

To verify that it is the friction brakes pulling left, shouldn't the OP try a moderate speed (~30 mph) braking in neutral on a clear and open stretch? That way there would be no regen to confuse the diagnosis. With some luck a few friction stops in neutral from somewhat higher speeds might even clean the pads/rotors, but that is pure speculation on my part.

 

Have you tried another dealer? Another set of eyes on the problem.

 

I had/have the same issue on my 08. Had pull on braking as well as pull at cruise. Dealer did alignment, cured cruise pull. Dealer said there was nothing else wrong and I was too busy to address it. When I rotated the tires for the first time the brake pull almost went away. I now have 42K on the car, and rotate every 8k, pull has lessened and increased based on which tire is in front. I really don't notice it any more unless I am really paying attention to it.
I am curious what will happen when I replace the tires which I will be doing before the snow flies.
I had believed I was feeling "torque steer" while braking due to the "braking" being done thru the transaxle.

Which dealer are you going to? I was going to Lawrence Toyota.

 

I thought SJ meant South Jersey!

 

I can't think of a convincing explanation for that. Regenerative braking (gentle/moderate braking in D) should be fairly balanced since it should be distributed evenly by the drive train. Having more problems in regen mode suggests an allignment/tire rolling issue. Not getting much pull with the friction brakes in N is the opposite of what I would expect if the friction pads/rotors were the problem.

I suppose it is possible that in N the braking is more distributed front and rear, while regen is effectively front brakes only. If so then if the front was the problem the impact would be lessened by the rears doing a greater share of the braking. It might even be that the left rear is causing the pull (or the right rear isn't engaging as it should.) This latter probably doesn't explain the better peformance in N vs. D though.

Perhaps this is more of a tendency to grab a bit more on one side at low speed?

You said that Toyota swapped tires and pads so unless the caliper set up or sliding "rail" (or whatever they call it) on one side is catching a bit I would have expected this to cure it or at least swap sides. (I've heard of this being an issue on other vehicles, with the caliper/calipers being a bit sticky.) Rotors could be the issue but your N test suggests they are a not the problem.

Hopefully someone with a fuller understanding of the Prius brake system can put these pieces together in a coherent way.