2010 PRIUS BRAKES 130,000 MILES NOISE

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Mike K4PI, Jan 7, 2023.

  1. Mike K4PI

    Mike K4PI New Member

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    I have a 2010 Prius with around 130K miles. When I depress the brakes there is a scratching type noise as long as the brakes are depressed .. The car does not have to be powered. Sounds like fingernails on a chalk board a hunter using a turkey calling device. Pads are okay. Fluid it topped off. Brakes work fine. No error codes. Any one have a clue?
     
    #1 Mike K4PI, Jan 7, 2023
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  2. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    In GA USA they oughta be close to fried . Sounds like a fender liner drag. Moves at braking the wrong direction towards tire maybe
     
    #2 Tombukt2, Jan 8, 2023
  3. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Post a recording? I haven't heard a turkey call in a while.

    There's an issue with threads about it here, variously calling it the brake honk, or bark, or quack. Your description sounds a little like it might be that.
     
    #3 ChapmanF, Jan 8, 2023
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    maybe debris caught between pad and rotor
     
    #4 bisco, Jan 8, 2023
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  5. CR94

    CR94 Senior Member

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    Does this happen mainly on short trips after a rainy spell? Are the disks rusty?
     
    #5 CR94, Jan 8, 2023
  6. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Is the sound only heard with the car moving, or is holding the brake pedal down enough, even with the car stationary?

    The way I read the first post, I didn't think the car had to be moving. Anyway, knowing that answer could help eliminate some of the possible causes.
     
    #6 ChapmanF, Jan 8, 2023
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  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    'the car does not have to be powered' fwiw
     
    #7 bisco, Jan 8, 2023
  8. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    That was the part that caught my eye.
     
    #8 ChapmanF, Jan 8, 2023
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    yeah, that eliminates my pebble theory. must be the brake booster turkey call
     
    #9 bisco, Jan 8, 2023
  10. Mike K4PI

    Mike K4PI New Member

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    The car is statitonary when I hear it the most.. It might be doing it while I am driving but if it is I can't hear it due to road noise etc. I can go to the car anytime after it is parked, get in, just press the brakes without doing anything else and I hear the noise. If I depress the Start button to start the car the noise does not change from what it was with the car unpowered. It is not a continuous noise but intermittent and continues as long as I hold the brake pedal down. I have had people listen under the hood while this is happening and hard to tell where it is coming from but sound near the rear of the engine or under the engine. This has been going on 6-8 months.
     
    #10 Mike K4PI, Jan 8, 2023
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  11. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Sounds to me like what's often called the brake honk or bark or quack. You can search this forum site for references to it.

    Here's a post from last year with more of the story.

    For 2010 and 2011 cars, a TSB was published about the availability of a firmware update (T-SB-0363-10). So a first thing to check is whether your car's brake firmware is already at the level shown in the TSB for your wheel size, and get the update if it isn't. I had the firmware update done on mine and it reduced the honking.

    However, even cars with the updated firmware (or later model years where they came with it) can still develop the honk sometimes. In that case, if it were up to me I would take further steps, as described in that thread I linked above, and not let it go very long.
     
    #11 ChapmanF, Jan 9, 2023
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  12. CR94

    CR94 Senior Member

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    Mine occasionally has spells of quacking, separated by months of spontaneous remission.
     
    #12 CR94, Jan 9, 2023
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  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    how long have you owned it? if awhile, has the sound changed? do you hear the buzzing sound when you open the drivers door?
     
    #13 bisco, Jan 9, 2023
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  14. Mike K4PI

    Mike K4PI New Member

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    Unfortunately mine is every day any time I go to the car. Not sure if it is getting worse ..

    I bought the Prius new in 2010 so 12 years old. It is not a buzzing. More like intermittent quack. As long a brake is depressed usually it will just keep quacking. Stops when I release break. Car does not have to be powered for it to happen. Happens cold or warm. Sounds almost like someone scrapping a wooden box turkey call but maybe lower pitch. I tried to put a link to a You Tube video of a box call but I was told I did not meet the requirements to post a link here.
     
    #14 Mike K4PI, Jan 14, 2023
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  15. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    As in post #11, you can check whether your car has the updated firmware version to address the quacking.

    If it already does and still quacks, or if you have the update done and then it still quacks, the next thing I would do (and not wait very long to do it) would be a long-form brake bleed.

    If after that it still repeatedly quacks while holding the pedal down, a replacement actuator may be in order.
     
    #15 ChapmanF, Jan 14, 2023
  16. Mike K4PI

    Mike K4PI New Member

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    I went to the Toyota dealer and they say I need to have the Brake Booster and Brake Actuator replaced. About $3 K for the part and labor. They say about 7 - 8 hours works The parts are about the same price as the labor. I know way back they had a recall but I am out of that range as I bought this in 2010 and so around 12 years old and 130 K miles.
     
    #16 Mike K4PI, Jan 21, 2023
  17. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    If all you have is quacking at this stage, you can check whether your car has the updated firmware version to address the quacking. Maybe the dealer checked that version. It would be good to make sure.

    If it already does and still quacks, or if you have the update done and then it still quacks, the next thing I would do (and not wait very long to do it) would be a long-form brake bleed. I can't tell whether the dealer did that.

    If after that it still repeatedly quacks while holding the pedal down, then the dealer may be right about a replacement actuator being in order.

    Where they said "have the Brake Booster and Brake Actuator replaced", it would be good to clarify whether they were proposing to replace one part or two.

    Technically, the Brake Booster and the Brake Actuator are two names for the same part (the top one, here).

    [​IMG]

    But sometimes, people say Brake Booster when they mean the Brake Booster Pump, which is the bottom thing.

    So if that's what they meant, they would be replacing two things.
     
    #17 ChapmanF, Jan 21, 2023
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