Engine frequently turning on during braking on gen 4

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by chrisnetcom, Apr 30, 2026 at 9:12 AM.

  1. chrisnetcom

    chrisnetcom Junior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    I’m hoping to get some insight from others who are familiar with the Gen 4 Prius behavior, because something doesn’t feel quite right compared to what I’ve experienced before on previous generations.

    I just picked up a 2017 Prius (Gen 4) with approximately 130k miles, and I’ve noticed that the engine will frequently start while I’m braking, even in situations where I wouldn’t expect it to. A good example is coming off the highway: the engine is already fully warmed up, and the battery state of charge is sitting around 5–6 bars out of 8. I’ll be decelerating normally, and instead of staying in regen like I’d expect, the ICE kicks on at idle RPMs and will stay running for about 30 seconds or so, even after coming to a stop.

    What’s odd is that I’ve owned both a Gen 2 and a Gen 3 Prius before this, and neither of them behaved like this under similar conditions. The only time I ever saw the engine spin up during braking on those was when the battery was full and it needed to dump excess charge when braking down a steep hill, which makes sense. This doesn’t seem to be that situation.

    I'm not noticing any fuel economy hit, averaging 55-60 during my daily 100-mile commute. I've doubled checked the HV battery filter and fan to ensure they were clean. Dr. Prius app shows no strange voltage differential of the cells, and battery temps are good.

    Is this just a gen 4 quirk and I'm overthinking this? Thanks!
     
    #1 chrisnetcom, Apr 30, 2026 at 9:12 AM
    Last edited: Apr 30, 2026 at 1:23 PM
  2. BiomedO1

    BiomedO1 Senior Member

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    I haven't experienced that; but engine startup command can be triggered my many different factors.

    Please fill out year, and sub-model in your profile, so people can help you out
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    either my gen 2 or gen 3 used to start at the same place on my work commute every day. nice weather, no hvac, battery around 6 bars, low mileage, did it since new. I could never figure it out.
    the commute was 4 miles of back roads, 2 miles of highway, and less than a mile through an office park. it would start in the office park every time.