"Grabby" brake behavior?
 

Since I am bringing my TCH in for service tomorrow to look into the gurgling sound behind the dash, I wanted to ask them about the brakes. I wanted to hear from a couple of you and see if this is common.

I have noticed that when I decelerate to a stop (lets just say from about 50mph), I can slow down smoothly except for the final couple of feet. It feels like the disc brakes are grabbing suddenly, and it makes it feel like a semi-panic stop for those last couple of feet. It borders on embarassing when I have someone in the car riding with me. I can also feel a transition if I am creeping forward with the foot on the brake.

In addition, I have noticed that sometimes it seems difficult to keep the car from creeping forward at a stop light without applying what seems to be excessive pressure to the brake pedal. My foot can actually get tired. At the same time, when I am stationary, with my foot on the brake, I can have the energy monitor showing that the wheels are feeding power to the battery, and if I step on the brake harder (and hear/feel that subtle "thump" transition), the flow of power will stop.

DOES ANYONE ELSE SEE THESE SORTS OF THINGS?

Thanks!

Re: "Grabby" brake behavior?
 

My brakes are very "grabby", I've made many a sudden stop due to applying excessive pressure. But I've read many reviews saying this was due to the regenerative brake system, and there's not really anything wrong. heck, something has to recharge the EV battery! I've gotten used to how much pressure I need to apply, but when I drive my wife's car, I realize how "grabby" they really are.

Re: "Grabby" brake behavior?
 

Just to clarify, the "grabbiness" that I am referring to is only for final couple of feet of your stop. In other words, between about 2 mph and 0 mph. It seems like it is related to the transition from the regenerative braking to "normal" brake pad application.

Re: "Grabby" brake behavior?
 

You are correct, this is due to the switch off from regenerative braking to disc brakes. It is a fairly commonly reported experience in they TCH

Re: "Grabby" brake behavior?
 

This is normal when braking lightly with the TCH. I find the first few stops require lighter pressure as the speed drops under 5mph. After a few stops, I don't notice this behaviour. I've noticed it's more sensitive if the car has been parked outside over night.

Edit: I believe surface rust on the rotors causes this. Try braking frimly a few times and see if it goes away.

Yes I've seen this too. If I momentarily hit the brake pedal firmly after stopping, the creeping stops. The "switch" to disable creeping seems to require a firm push on the brakes to engage. But once the creeping stops, I can just rest my foot on the brake without it re-occuring. I would think the dealer could adjust this.

Re: "Grabby" brake behavior?
 

The TCH is a dream stopping smoothly compared to my previous Prius.
J

Re: "Grabby" brake behavior?
 

Normal behaviour for the TCH. Remember in the normal ICE car, the engine is there to give a bit of push which makes the brakes less sensitive and the stop is smoother. If you tried to stop a normal ICE car in neutral there is the same grabby baheviour. Been there done that. You have to be real light on the brakes at the stop. If the ICE is running at the stop there is less of a problem than if the car is on E mode alone.

Re: "Grabby" brake behavior?
 

Has anyone been able to get this grabby feel adjusted at the dealership?

Re: "Grabby" brake behavior?
 

I can't tell you how many times I've felt like I was going to go through the windshield. After driving my Subie for 10 years, it's hard to change habits overnight. With the Subie, braking was like nicely asking the car to stop at its earliest convenience...

Re: "Grabby" brake behavior?
 

I have noticed this grabbiness only since the weather has turned cooler and more moist...rain and snow. It didn't happen while it was warm and dry so I was attributing it to moisture....