No they don't "all" work like that. If you hit a sizable bump while braking the ABS kicks in but it should not on small bumps or never ever on its own. It amazes me what some of you are willing to put up with and then turn around make 20 posts about a half mile per galon drop in mileage. For the record I have tested my Prius for this and it takes a good sized bump or fairly severe washboard effect to activate the ABS. I can feel the pedal pulsate when it does but I do not get the "second or so" of no brakes others report.
I'd bet a dollar that they're not getting one second of no brakes either. People are terrible judges of time when they are surprised.
The roads here are quite frankly Sh** and I have never experienced this, maybe all the big bumps are on the right side of the road and I drive on the left?
It all depends on traction. ABS will kick in on a perfectly smooth surface if it is slippery. Small bumps with loose gravel will do the same. Thank you for the insulting and dismissive tone of your post. It helps ever so much in making your point. Tom
The Prius are built different down there. They stereotype you guys and reduced the effect of brake fade over large bumps because they saw too many nature documentaries of Aussies running over goannas, shingleback skinks and wallabies and stuff.
Glass houses. When your earlier response to me began with, "Plan on selling your Prius" I didn't see the need to tip-toe around your ego.
I believe the "second or so" is the millisecond that the brake pedal pulses with the ABS on. To some people, this would feel like there's no brakes for "a second" though. If you've ever had a panic stop, when you get to almost a complete stop, since the ABS pulses the brakes, at the last second, you can feel the pulsing, which makes it seem as though the brakes are not working, but in reality, that IS their intended function. The same applies to gravel or rought spots in the road. That said, my brain is still reeling from the OP's original post.