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Pumping brake pedal at stop and flashing traction control light

Discussion in 'Prius v Technical Discussion' started by gafortiby, Oct 4, 2016.

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  1. gafortiby

    gafortiby Member

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    I noticed that when I pump my brakes several times at a stop, the traction control symbol on the dash starts flashing. It flashes until the car starts moving again.

    Does anyone know what that means? why does it flash?
     
    #1 gafortiby, Oct 4, 2016
  2. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    It flashes when your brakes are not right.

    Please have your dealer check your brakes while you still can.
     
    #2 JimboPalmer, Oct 4, 2016
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  3. gafortiby

    gafortiby Member

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    No it never flashes when I brake the car to slow it down. It only flashes when the car is already stopped, and while at a complete stop I pump the brake pedal.
     
    #3 gafortiby, Oct 4, 2016
  4. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    Your car is throbbing the pedal, trying to catch your attention while it still can.
    The lights are flashing whenever it would not distract your driving.

    If it could scream at you it would. It is giving you clues. Please pay attention to the warnings.
     
    #4 JimboPalmer, Oct 4, 2016
  5. gafortiby

    gafortiby Member

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    I don't think I am explaining correctly. Let me try describing it again.

    1. I stop the car normally at a stop light. all normal. brakes do not pulse, there is no "squishy" feeling, no brake fade, no smell, the brake fluid level and color is good, there is no aeration in the brake fluid, there are no leaks, the pads are healthy, the rotors are clean and straight, there are no squeals or other noises.
    2. the car is still stopped and not moving. my foot is on the brake pedal about 60% pushed in. all normal.
    3. While the car is stopped and my foot is on the brake, I fully press the brake pedal 100% to the floor. I am doing this purely because I feel like it. call it a bad habit or maybe I am dancing to music. all normal.
    4. for fun, i do this 5 times in a row very quickly. the pedal is not moving on its own. it is not pulsing. the car is not moving. I am just pushing it down for fun. THEN, the traction control light starts flashing.

    For a moment, lets ignore why I am doing this strange thing.

    My question is, WHY is the traction control light flashing when I do this strange thing? what does it mean?
     
    #5 gafortiby, Oct 4, 2016
  6. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    You have probably activated the "hill hold" (hill start in the manual) feature, not the traction control. Hill hold allows you to be stopped on a hill and then let your foot off the brake for a few seconds so you don't roll forward or backward. It's activated by pressing the brake down hard for a few seconds, deactivated when you step on the gas.

    hill start 2.jpg
     
    #6 rjparker, Oct 4, 2016
    Last edited: Oct 4, 2016
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  7. rdgrimes

    rdgrimes Senior Member

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    Yep, nothing more than hill start assist doing what you told it to do.
     
    #7 rdgrimes, Oct 4, 2016
  8. gafortiby

    gafortiby Member

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    ohhhhhhh hill start assist. THANKS that is probably what's going on.

    My Subaru had it as a separate button on the driver's left knee area, i figured the Prius did not have the feature.
     
    #8 gafortiby, Oct 4, 2016
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  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Yup yup, Hill Hold. Now, getting back to the strange behavior, lol:

     
    #9 Mendel Leisk, Oct 4, 2016
  10. gafortiby

    gafortiby Member

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    why do I pump my brakes at a light... It's an old habit.
    Sometimes I do it to see how much travel I have left on the pedal, and test the pedal feel. However I am learning that on a Prius, pedal feel is hard to equate to master brake cylinder behavior. soooo... it's just an odd habit.
     
    #10 gafortiby, Oct 4, 2016
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  11. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    Yeah, I used to left-foot it towards the end of the Mulsanne. At 240 mph you want to know you have brake pressure and the pads set to operate. But I digress...
     
    #11 Air_Boss, Oct 4, 2016
  12. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    READ The Fahrvergnügen (Owners) Manual.
     
    #12 exstudent, Oct 4, 2016
  13. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    I bet everyone would find a feature they did not know about by reading the manual.
     
    #13 rjparker, Oct 4, 2016
  14. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Get the PDF too. Being searchable helps.
     
    #14 Mendel Leisk, Oct 4, 2016
  15. gafortiby

    gafortiby Member

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    I read the first 200 pages and then realized I had a life to live. ;)
     
    #15 gafortiby, Oct 4, 2016
  16. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    Evelyn Wood commercial?
     
    #16 Air_Boss, Oct 4, 2016
  17. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    Now I feel bad claiming it was warning of failure when it was only warning about a special function. I can only plead never having that feature.
     
    #17 JimboPalmer, Oct 4, 2016
  18. gafortiby

    gafortiby Member

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    I had to Wikipedia "Evelyn Wood" so no. :)
     
    #18 gafortiby, Oct 4, 2016
  19. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Youngsters. :rolleyes:

    Cheech and Chong had a routine on it: called it "Evelyn Woodhead Spedredding" or similar.
     
    #19 Mendel Leisk, Oct 4, 2016
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  20. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    Now he will need to Wikipedia Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong
     
    #20 JimboPalmer, Oct 4, 2016
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