Prius (2004-09) :: Brake Pedal Went To The Floor And Car Wouldn't Stop
Jun 10, 2012
I was going down the highway at 70mph and came up to a toll booth when the brake pedal went to the floor and the car wouldn't stop. I hit the pedal hard and the car stopped in a very jerky manner as if the abs was initiated. I looked at the dash and the ABS, (!), and brake lights were illuminated. I turned the car off and then on again and the lights were off and the brakes worked normally again.
The Toyota dealer in CT said the weak battery was causing an under-voltage at the stroke sensor and replaced the battery. They told me if I lost my brakes again (!) I should bring it back for a new stroke sensor. In hindsight, I should have just told them to go ahead and replace the sensor. Two days later, driving down Florida route 301 in the rain, a stoplight went from yellow to red in about 3 seconds so I hit the pedal hard. The back brakes immediately locked up, the front wheels kept rolling, the car swerved and slid through the red light intersection sideways.
I counter steered and slid between two cars at the other red light, on the wrong side of the road as I straightened out. The car swerved and slid sideways again in the other direction and then spun around so I finally wound up in the correct lane, and I drove off like nothing happened. I was doing maybe 35-40 at the time and it's a miracle no one got hurt. Again I look down and see the lights illuminated. I cycled the power switch as before, and again the problem went away.
About an hour later the problem came back and this time no amount of power cycling will clear it. Basically what I'm understanding now is that it's the regenerative side that doesn't work with the bad sensor. The hydraulics kick in at around the last 10% of the pedal so the car will still stop, but I have to floor the pedal and that makes the car think your trying to lock up the wheels so it initiates the ABS system which makes stopping jerky and unpredictable. BEWARE the stoke sensor!!! What a dangerous design!! The dealer has the car now...
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I have a 2005 4.2 with 89k 4wd. The brake pedal occasionally goes farther towards the floor when coming to the end of a stop. I have bled the brake lines. All brake pads, rotors, and lines are good. Could it still be air in the lines?
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2005 with 110K miles. Had oil change about 2K miles ago, tires rotated about 1K miles ago. I was at a stop light when I felt a little movement in the brake pedal and the lights all came on. Brakes continued to work, but somewhat harder to push the pedal. When first applying the brakes, there was a very slight wandering of the car, which was easy to correct.
I drove the car home and turned it off. About an hour later I started it and the problem was gone. I took it to an independent garage the next day. Their scan tool found C1357 -- decrease pressure solenoid fault -- but could not go further into sub codes. They recommended that I take it to dealer.
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2003 - I tried to change the brake fluid with a MityVac. I've done it to dozens of cars with no problem. With the Prius it didn't take it well as I have to pump the pedal sometimes to stop or the pedal goes way down. Only now I read about how a special Toyota scan tool is recommended to do it. Is there any other way? I only really did the front brakes since after trying one rear wheel cylinder and getting nothing out of it, I quit. The dealer wants $165 and I'm sure that doesn't include any extra shop fees and such they tack on. What other way can I try before taking it in?
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My 04 Camry is having brake issues. It has 205k miles. The front pads are great and the back shoes are great. (Drums in back) I've had them adjusted multiple times but my pedal still goes almost to the floor. It's not the master cylinder cause I've already replaced that. The pedal doesn't bleed off either. But I have bled the brake lines and there is no air left in the lines.
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When I go to start and depress the brake pedal it goes all the way to the floor. The brake fluid is at the full mark and my 2011 has only 25k miles. Where should I look since it did not go all the way to the floor when I forst got it with 6K miles.
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2013 Prius c Two, bought brand new with 15 miles on it 5 weeks ago. A few times when driving, I noticed the brakes seemed weak, like they weren't stopping the car very well even at low speeds (My driving is mostly in town on residential streets, so I'm rarely going over 35 MPH. Even so, I'd have to really mash the pedal all the way to the floor to get the car to come to a complete stop, otherwise it would keep moving forward. Several times I ended up about 5-10 feet past the line, sticking the front bumper into cross traffic. Luckily no one hit me. I chalked it up to the quirks of a different car than the one I was used to, and figured if it kept happening I'd take it to the dealership.
On Monday, my wife was stopped at a red light. The light turned green and the car in front of her started to move forward. After a few hundred feet, he suddenly slammed on his brakes. She said her brake pedal went all the way to the floor, and the Prius didn't slow down at all. She hit him going about 25-30 MPH and totaled the Prius. She's an excellent driver and I've been with her before when she's had to panic-stop. She's never driven a car without ABS, so she is used to pushing the pedal hard and keeping her foot on it. She wouldn't even know how to "pump" the pedal. She swears the pedal just went all the way to the floor and the car didn't slow down at all.
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2004 with 214000 miles. Brake pedal goes to the floor, red dash lights are flashing, I just added a container of brake fluid and still no pressure at the pedal. I'm guessing master cylinder.
My question is: Even though my brake pedal goes directly to the floor, how am I getting the car to stop at the very end of the push? Do the brakes somehow work as a fail-safe even the the hydrolics are basically toast? I know that's a long shot, but it wouldn't be the first time I've been shocked over systems in this car.
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Driving yesterday, (slowly down bumpy gravel road). My 2005 Prius locked up, the red BRAKE and the yellow (ABS) indicator lights came on. The car wouldn't go forward or back. I tried setting the emergency brake then releasing it - nothing. Still couldn't go forward or backward. I shut it off, turned it back on, nothing, tried setting the emergency brake then releasing it - I finally was able to drive, but the indicator lights were still on and when I tried to brake, there was nothing, nothing, nothing, then BAM the brakes grabbed and locked up. (This happened several times in a few blocks as I was cautiously trying to test the car out.)
I parked got out my owners manual which said "STOP, contact Toyota Dealer" so I had my car towed (first time ever for her to be towed) to my mechanic (he's out hunting, so someone else at the shop looked at it.)
The shop called and said it was showing a code of 1247 and said that it was a "malfunction of the brake pedal". They said they cleared the code and the lights went out. Their mechanic is going to take it for a test drive trying several 'braking scenarios'. (they better not wreck my car).
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I am looking at purchasing a used 05 gx. It has about 109k on the odometer, a lengthy carfax report showing that the maintenance has been kept up since day 1. It's a one owner and is very clean. While borrowing the car for an afternoon I noticed two issues that is causing hesitation.
While stopped at a light I kept getting feedback in the brake pedal, like a light thump in a pattern of two at a time.
The second, and this might be normal? While examining the outside of the car with the engine running I heard a sound at the rear of the car by the rear wheel. It sounds similar to a compressor, maybe for the air ride suspension. I checked the height control in the car and it was set to "N".
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Is it possible that my break pedal was frozen this morning? I pulled out and drove the 1/4 mile up my shared driveway. When I tried to stop at the top of the road, my break pedal wouldn't move. I think the van that I pulled out in front of was just as surprised as I was! It was 12 degrees here, but I've never heard of such a thing.
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In my 2008 F150 with 108,000 miles, I am having a vibration in the brake pedal. When I am stopping or at a dead stop. I first thought it might be the rotors needing to be turned, but the vibration seems to go away when I turn off the a/c.
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Coming to a stop, clutch pedal just lost all pressure. I can bring it back up, but even the slightest touch will send it to the floor again. I get the brake warning light on the dash. What could be causing this?
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I was driving around today and had to hit the brakes really hard for the first time. ABS kicked in and during the ABS 'action' the brake pedal rapidly went to the floor. With each 'pump' the ABS made it felt like the pedal sunk slightly.
This was on dry pavement, a little gravelly / dirty and the car stopped rapidly, but just as I stopped the pedal was VERY close to the floor, and with just a touch more pressure it did in fact hit bottom.
Sounds to me like the ABS pump needs to be bled, is that right? Can I do that myself with a VAGCOM? I hate having the dealer do anything, even if it is their job. How to SAFELY confirm if cars does / does not do this as well?
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My problem, Brakes. I hardly have any at all (pedal all the way to the floor and hardly stop), yet the front pads are dragging, and heating the rotors. Maybe a bent line? I bled the fronts, and as soon as I loosened the bleeder nipple, a good bit of fluid came out, without pressing the pedal of course. It's dark out now or I would inspect for bent lines. Could there maybe a problem with the booster?
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2005 Volvo S60 T5, 90,000 miles. The brake pedal depresses almost to the floor. Dealer service has not had a solution to this problem. All brake components are supposedly nominal. Might pedal position sensor be faulty?
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My mother went out 2 days ago to go run errands, she stepped on the brake pedal and it went to the floor (car still in garage and in park, low mileage car 81,xxx garage kept). I have not been able to duplicate the issue. The fluid has been changed twice since new, no signs of fluid loss, undercarriage inspection revealed nothing. I am thinking maybe a vacuum hose issue.
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I drive a 1991 F-150 Lariat Extended Cab. Out of the blue, my brakes decided they didn't want to work unless the pedal is about 1/2 - 3/4 of the way down to the floor. As soon as I release past that 1/2 mark, they shut off. While this makes it great for tailgaters, it does not make it great for police officers.
We have already replaced the switch thinking maybe it was that, but alas it was not. I was reading in a couple difference places about the multiswitch? However, the symptoms other people had were similar, but not the same. I never tilt my steering wheel, so I dont know if that's the issue!
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For the past several weeks, my daughter reports that she has to put her foot almost all the way to the floor to get the brakes to work. The brakes do not have an effect until her foot is 1-2 inches from the floor. It usually happens after she has been driving for a while without pressing the brakes. I’ve driven the car numerous times but haven’t been able to replicate the problem. Her commute is approximately 10 miles each way in stop and go traffic. The car is a Volvo xc70 with 200k+ miles. I've had it looked at by a mechanic who didn't find anything but it's continuing to happen. I'm suspicious that it may be a master cylinder problem and concerned about complete brake failure -- should I be?
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When I press the brake pedal, the car will stop. But if I keep pressing it while the car is stopped, the pedal wants to keep going towards the floor. I have to press hard for it to do this. I have bled the brakes. I've checked the calipers and the hoses for leaks and don't see anything. The master cylinder is topped up and I don't see any fluid underneath it. It doesn't appear to be leaking. The funny thing is, when I turn the engine off and press the pedal, the pedal comes to a stop and doesn't want to move after I pressed on it as hard as I can.
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