My wife told me she was hearing a squeaking sound coming from the front end of our 2006 Prius (90,000 miles) along with a nosie when she applied the brakes. Today I took the car over to the Toyota dealer and had a test ride with the mechanic. He heard the two different types of noise, and said he needed about two hours to determine the problem. About 2 hours later I received a call from the Toyota dealership, who told me I had a bad strut along with a ABS Actuator Assembly that needed to be replaced. Total cost $2500.00. Of course I was shocked to hear the price. Luckily I had a Toyota warranty that was good for 100,000 miles and expires December 16, 2012. My total cost was Zero. In addition they gave me a Toyota Corolla rental for three days. I know what a strut is, but have no idea what an ABS Actuator Assembly is. I also have no idea why this repair is so expensive. I am just thankful, I have the extended warranty on this Prius.
The brake actuator is an important component of the braking system in Toyota hybrids. It contains an electrically powered hydraulic pump that builds up brake fluid pressure in the brake system and is mounted to the engine compartment firewall. That part alone is priced well into four-digits. The actuator can be seen when the cowl tray that contains the windshield wiper motor is removed. The actuator operates based upon signals provided by the skid control ECU to provide pressurized hydraulic fluid to the four brake wheel cylinders as needed for friction braking.
