I have a 2005 Prius. Recently, we have found that the slightest pressure on the brakes gives much more braking than we anticipated. We have moved the car from
Arizona (dry climate) to Long Island NY (wet climate). I’ve brought it to the dealer 3 times and each time they find nothing wrong. In the meantime my wife and I never know when the brakes will be much more abrupt than we want it to be.
Dave in East Moriches, NY
One idea I had is that the brake discs are getting a light coat of rust on them during the wet spells. This would cause more effective braking action until the rust gets rubbed off.
When you get this problem solved, post back to let us know.
Thanks for the suggestion about rust on disks. It’s been one of my thoughts. How to prevent it is my problem. If new rotors would work I would be glad to replace them. ( Only front brakes are disk brakes- rear are old fashioed drum brakes.)
Thanks again
The grabbing brakes is from the friction material absorbing moisture from the air as the vehicle sits idle. This is what happens also if brake fluid contaminates the friction material. But in your case, the grabbing stops after a couple of stops. That’s because the brakes got hot enough to drive off the moisture. You might try having the front brake pads replaced first to see if this solves the problem. If not, then the rear brake shoes should also be replaced.
Tester
Tester,
Thanks for the recommendations. I’ll probably replace front brake pads and see how we do. Dave