Weird grinding noise when braking

Pretty sure it is not the transaxle. More knowledgeable members would be able to tell you exactly what it is. Btw, it would help to post the mileage on the car. You might consider changing transaxle fluid if you are above 60-70K miles just to be on the safe side.

 

After reading the thread you linked to, the only thing I am thinking is OH MY GOD! They are not only supremely incompetent but also dishonest to the core. You should definitely contact Toyota customer center in case that service turns into any high $ repair in the future. I just hope they didn't screw-up the tranaxle oil change by draining the inverter coolant instead of transaxle oil (the drain plugs are close to each other) and that's where all your problems started.

Also, please make sure to check that the transaxle oil used was ATF-WS type.

To better diagnose, list all of the work that the dealership did on your car as well as any codes that were thrown by the car at the time. Of course, this problem may not be related to that service at all but that needs to be isolated.

 

I had a bad feeling it was going to get stupid which is why I warned you in the original link you pasted to pay attention and GET THE CODES. I meant pay attention to these idiots your dealing with as they sound like they can really mess a car up. I just yelped them and there service center apparently sucks.
Champion Toyota of Austin - BattleBend Springs - Austin, TX

If its not throwing codes how does the dealer know its the TA? If it was the TA it would be grinding all the time not brake pedal sensitive. No matter what I would not go back to them.

 

I would suggest that you wait for a few more folks to respond. I am sure they have seen something like this before and that would help to narrow down the likely causes. Since the car drives ok apart from the particular scenario you are describing, it is unlikely an issue with the transaxle.

Did the dealer do anything related to the brakes on your car?

 

There have been reports of bearing failure in the differential section of the trans which is strictly mechanical and would not throw a code. But your complaint that its effect is tied to a braking issue is rare.

2 easy choices. Pull the trans fluid again and look for pieces of metal. You will see pieces of metal on the dump bolt magnet.

Or go to an independent and have them put it on a lift with someone in the car. Drive the car on the lift while the mechanic listens under the car.

But this is not connected to the Champion dealer though is it? Trans was fine when it went in and then drove away and heard grinding? If so I cannot see how unless they forgot to put fluid back in the trans.
Please elaborate specifically to this timeline.

 

Cam,

I searched the forum for "noise brake" titles and there are several threads. Have you gone through them to make sure this hasn't been seen/addressed before?

I am hoping somebody like Pat Wong can give you more guidance on what the next steps should be. Do you have vibration alongwith the noise? Is the noise coming from front or rear? Here are a few threads to check in the meantime if you have not looked at them:

Grinding noise when braking - Only 42000 km on 2004 Prius | PriusChat

Strange noise when braking?? | PriusChat

2007 Prius Brake noise and lockup | PriusChat

hearing a weird noise? think brake dust (horses) not wheel bearings (zebras) | PriusChat

Used 2010 Prius, brake pedal bark noise, worth returning car? | PriusChat

 

Form your other post:

The above (in bold) is what really rings alarm bells for me. Normally the first thing you'd do after replacing the coolant pump is to turn it on and test it - check for coolant flow and lack of air bubbles etc. If the replacement pump was obviously faulty then you'd notice it pretty much immediately, go grab another one off the shelf and replace it straight away. It would probably add an extra 40 minutes to the job.

Them literally taking days to sort it out, then still not really having it ready for you, and finally having all the other issues start immediately following this fiasco is just incredibly suspect. Personally I think they must have made some kind of massive mistake, like filling the coolant loop with ATF and the transmission with coolant or something absolutely crazy like that. Otherwise I just can't see why they need it for days and then seemingly want to "hide" all the codes from you like they did.

 

Close but think your missing some digits. POA is Hybrid codes and are normally:

POAxx-xxx

 

POA7a (missing 3 digit minor subset) is Generator/Inverter malfunction.
Possible issue with MG2 or Inverter.

Get it up on a lift and listen to trans.

 

Did you ever have to get the Inverter coolant pump replaced? And has this car seen alot of wicked hills?