Its been 21 years since I’ve owned a brand new car. And now I have a new 2007 Prius sitting in the garage. I notice the steering wheel makes a very slight rubbing/squeaky sound…like plastic on plastic… .when I turn the wheel. Drives fine. And the breaks have a sligth squeaky sound too.
Is this just new car noises? …or Prius noises? Before I head to the dealer I’m wondering if I’m just being a head case?
Neither of these noises is normal. Take the car back to the Toyota dealer and let them fix it.
Mary, you could be hearing the tires turning on the floor of the garage. Your gas engine is probably off so it is much quieter than your old car and you are now hearing noises that you could never hear before. The brakes should not be making any funny noises so you should have that checked out.
Such minor squeaks are normal enough in any car. They are completely harmless and certainly not worth the bother of a separate visit to the dealer. On your next scheduled visit, mention the squeaks to the service manager.
Thanks for the info, I’ll do that. I drove the car 50 miles today…brake noise is gone…nd, had another new prius owner listen closely to her steering wheel…same slight noise, which she’d never noticed until I pointed it out. Conclusion-- I am a head case…glad I only do this once every 20 years or so. Thanks too to other replys!
There are a number of noises on the Prius, most of which are only noticable because it is such a quiet car otherwise (same noises as other cars, just now you can hear them)…
If you can hear some high-pitched whines when using the brakes, that’s probably the electric motor providing regenerative braking. The whine is the coolant pump circulating for the electric motor.
When you turn off the car, occasionally you’ll hear a whirring noise - that’s the Coolant Heat Storage System’s little thermos pumping in some hot coolant from the engine, to be stored for later use when you next start the car (when it’ll put the hot coolant back to help pre-heat the engine coolant).
On some really hot days, you may even hear the battery fan from behind the rear seat/under the cargo area blowing to cool off the battery.
Yes, some people do notice a plastic scrubbing sound when turning their steering wheel near the end of travel. It’s not uncommon. (Also, some tire scrubbing when you turn the wheel and the car is stationary, as well…)
Best bet is to find another owner near you, and swap cars for a little bit. You can judge sounds from their car, and they can judge whether or not yours sounds wierd or not.
The sounds you describe don’t sound worrisome enough for a rush trip to the dealer, but if you want you can ask the next time you’re in for scheduled maintenance.
Where are you? If you’re nearby, we can meet and you can listen to my '07 Prius to see…I mean hear!, if it makes the same noises.