Is there a way to disconnect the ear piercing noise? Is it safe to drive without ABS? Dealer said it would cost $1675 to repair (!) & I’m not working at the present time. Help…
I believe that hybrids count on the ABS to be working because it is involved in the handoff from the regenerative braking to the mechanical braking. That is probably why there is a loud alarm warning you of this serious problem. (In normal cars, it’s not a big deal.)
If you can’t afford to fix it, then you can’t afford to drive it.
Thank you very much for your most informative response. What did you really mean with that last comment. May you never have to deal w/ job lose & may your world never collapse around you.
calihobbs, open up your yellow pages and look through the auto repair section. Try to find a shop or two (non-dealership) that advertises special expertise with Toyota (or Asian brands in general).
Call them up and ask how much experience they have with the Prius systems, and try to get a second opinion on whatever the issue is. Independent shops (i.e. non-dealerships) are less likely to sell you things that you don’t need and can do most work at a more reasonable price. Since this is a Prius, you may have to rely on a dealer more than others but there’s a ton of stuff that you just don’t need a dealer for.
That last statement was not meant to offend. It’s simple, if you can’t keep the car safe to drive, then you can’t drive the car. I’ve been in that situation before, and I didn’t drive the car. I walked, begged a ride, borrowed a car, or whatever. I did not drive the unsafe car until it was repaired to a safe condition.
Not being able to afford to keep a car safely operating is no excuse for killing someone with it.
Go to a Prius board (first generation section) and ask on how to disable the noise. Hopefully it is an easily accessible piece. It must be something really important if an annoying buzzer goes off.
Also a Prius specific board may have some guidance on what to do (hopefully yourself) to correct the issue.
Hopefully employment goes better.