Prius needs rear brakes at 38k?

THIS IS THE KEY!

The problem with any "long life" service interval is that stuff can happen between those times. Brakes (IIRC) should be inspected every 20K or once a year. Heck, every tire rotation (5K) puts you in position to inspect the brakes. This means TAKING THE CALIPER OFF and looking at the pads IF you can't get a good sight on them to see how they are wearing. If the pin(s) can be pulled without removing the caliper, take one out at a time and clean/lube/reinsert.

A few hours of tinkering will prevent problems later. Only if you live someplace "clean" and keep a car in the garage will you likely go the whole interval with no problems.

 

Hey, it can be worse.

I have a Mazda pickup truck. Two winter's back, we had a bad snow, and I ran over a downed grounding wire from a power pole. It wrapped around my rear axle and ultimately stretched a parking brake cable.

Over $500 in parts and mechanic fees later and my parking brake still doesn't work right. Everything has been replaced. There was so much slack in the cable (post-repair) that I had to use cable clamps and a turnbuckle to shorten the cable so that it is tight when it engages. Replaced the rear drum hardware as well. Basically, before the mod, it would work a couple times and then barely hold when the pedal is to the floor. With the mod I (and others) have done, between applying the brake and leaving it in gear, it seems to hold on slight to moderate inclines, but I can never trust the parking brake again.

EVERYTHING is spec (supposedly...no lengths are given in the parts manual). This is a problem EVERY Ranger and B-series owner has IF they ever have to "fix" the parking brake. Nobody can figure out why.