How many miles before a brake job?

Prius friction brakes are only used for emergency stops and from 7 mph on down. Normal braking above 7 mph goes back to the battery. Some find they need to do a quick stop periodically just to keep the rust off the rotors.

 

Most Priuses are able to go at least 75k before brake jobs.

However, the second generation Prius still has rear drum brakes. They need to be cleaned, deglazed and adjusted at least every 30,000 miles to ensure that the brake system is working properly. This is very important for the overall health of the brake system.

 

This is incorrect. Periodic inspection is needed, but under normal circumstances neither the front disk brakes or rear drum brakes will need any maintenance. Further more, the rear drums have a ratcheting style auto adjuster.

See this link for a detailed description:

http://www.techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/brkjob/adj.html

Galaxee did a recent write up on cleaning and adjustment. Apparently one side was not auto ratcheting. This is not normal which is why periodic inspection is needed. Deglazing is *not* needed but won't hurt anything if you do it.

In cars where the brakes are actually used to stop, pad replacement will vary greatly depending on type of driving and driving style. I've never had a car that needed brake pads at 75K miles.

Since the brakes in the prius are only used to stop from 7 to 0 in normal circumstances, the pads should easily outlast the life of the car.

Brake fluid becomes water logged over time regardless of use, so it needs to be flushed about every 5 years.

 

From my experience, drum brakes get dusty and dirty with normal use. After a period of time, the dust builds up and sometimes causes brake noise. That is why I recommend cleaning the rear drum assembly and performing any adjustments (if necessary) every 30k.

 

It certainly can't hurt, but the Prius when driven normally won't need it anywhere near as frequently as a non regen car.