Camry HybridDiscussion area for the Toyota Camry Hybrid. Topics of discussion range from fuel economy, safety, modifications, performance all involving Americas favorite family car, the Toyota Camry.
intolerable whining sound from the regenerative brake of my 2012 camry hybrid
I bought my 2012 camry hybrid le two weeks ago and I just found it has very prominent whining noise from the regenerative brake. The service man told me it is normal for hybrids, but I really can't endure it and I ask my sales to see what they can do. However he said I need to write $6500 off if I want to switch to other non hybrid camry.
I drove my friend's 2008 camry hybrid and it has no such prominent noise and is much less loud and sensitive and is totally tolerable. The prius I tested driving in dealership also has acceptable sound from the brake. I don't know why the 2012 one is so loud and the high pitch sound always catch your attention and make the driving very annoying.
You may ask why I didn't find out when test driving it. I am the first time buyer of hybrid cars and I never expect there will be such a sound in any car and I guess when I heard it when test driving I probably thought it was coming from places far away, such as airplane taking off, ambulance siren..
The 2012 camry hybrid has the intolerable sound comparing with prius and previous models of camry hybrid. My car may be even louder than average 2012 camry hybrids, which I will try to find out. I don't think I can endure this in everyday driving and I really want toyota to find out some solution instead of charging me $6500.
So I come here to ask previous hybrid owners to give me some suggestions. Thanks.
I have a 2012 Hybrid XLE. Neither my wife or I have noticed any prominent noise from the braking system. I would definitely recommend comparing your car to other new Hybrids.
no suggestion, just a question. what exactly do you mean by "regenerative braking"? all there is to it when you touch brakes, and only for initial moderate braking, MG2 changes direction of rotation to its opposite, and starts working as generator. it's all done electronically and inside hybrid drive, more precisely - inside power splitting device. as a result, MG is slowing down vehicle some.
it is completely different, if you roll down a hill, and put gear shifter into B position. what it does, it locks engine to electrical motors, and vehicle is slowed down by engine back pressure, whilst there is no fuel supplied to it.
now THAT produces rather annoying noise. took me some time to get used to it. now, i use B as much as I can.
so, what exactly is you calling regenerative braking? there should be no noticeable noise heard if you simply gently press brake pedal. for any serious braking, it switches to direct hydraulic brakes.
The only whining noise my 2008 makes is either when you accelerate only on the battery from a standstill (kind of like a quiet streetcar) and also just before you come to a complete stop.
But the whining sound is absolutely not loud, annoying or persistent. And I'm a first-time hybrid owner.
Perhaps your particular 2012 vehicle has some sort of issue?
Here in Toronto, Canada, more than 50% of all taxis are Camrys and about 50% of those are hybrids. It must be a good car if it's now a fleet vehicle...
__________________ 2008 Camry Hybrid | Magnetic Grey on Grey Leather | Bi-Xenon H1 4300K Retrofit | Italian Hertz Sound System (dash 4" EM 100, front 6.5" ECX 165, rear 6" x 9" ECX 690, 10" ES 250D sub in custom trunk enclosure, HDP5 5-channel amp, 1320W total power) | 4-sensor Rear Parking System | 20% Metallic Tint | Weathertech Floorliners | 17" ASA AR1 Rims | Toyo Garit KX (winter) | Toyo Versado LX II (summer)
The '12s I've driven did not exhibit any noticeable regen braking whine whatsoever. In the 6th gen it's slightly noticeable, but in the 7th gen it's nearly nonexistent. Try and drive another '12 from your dealer and compare the two.
__________________
2011 Chrysler Town & Country Touring
2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid
2003 Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic
2002 Jaguar X-Type 2.5 AWD
I have a 2012 Hybrid XLE. Neither my wife or I have noticed any prominent noise from the braking system. I would definitely recommend comparing your car to other new Hybrids.
Today I drove the demo car again and it also has the sound, maybe less louder. So this should be a common problem for the new camry hybrids. I believe you must also have the noise but you may be not the kind of people who are sensitive to the high pitch sound. Try driving at evening and listen when you are braking and you will find the siren-like sound. After that you will notice it anytime you apply the brake. It is really loud, when you find it, trust me. Even my sales admitted this.
I think the 2012 camry hybrid is the noisest hybrids compared to previous camry hybrid and prius. Now I just want to know if toyota service is capable of adjusting the brakes to control the sound technically.
no suggestion, just a question. what exactly do you mean by "regenerative braking"? all there is to it when you touch brakes, and only for initial moderate braking, MG2 changes direction of rotation to its opposite, and starts working as generator. it's all done electronically and inside hybrid drive, more precisely - inside power splitting device. as a result, MG is slowing down vehicle some.
it is completely different, if you roll down a hill, and put gear shifter into B position. what it does, it locks engine to electrical motors, and vehicle is slowed down by engine back pressure, whilst there is no fuel supplied to it.
now THAT produces rather annoying noise. took me some time to get used to it. now, i use B as much as I can.
so, what exactly is you calling regenerative braking? there should be no noticeable noise heard if you simply gently press brake pedal. for any serious braking, it switches to direct hydraulic brakes.
For my 2012 hybrid and the demo car I tested, even gently braking may cause the siren-sound coming out (not always, but it comes), less louder but even more annoying because gently braking happens much more frequently than hard-braking.
The only whining noise my 2008 makes is either when you accelerate only on the battery from a standstill (kind of like a quiet streetcar) and also just before you come to a complete stop.
But the whining sound is absolutely not loud, annoying or persistent. And I'm a first-time hybrid owner.
Perhaps your particular 2012 vehicle has some sort of issue?
Here in Toronto, Canada, more than 50% of all taxis are Camrys and about 50% of those are hybrids. It must be a good car if it's now a fleet vehicle...
As I said in my post, I drove my friend's 2008 camry hybrid and the sound is totally tolerable. 2012 is a complete different story.
Are you sure it isn't the "noisemaker" Toyota added to Hybrids to make sure they are heard when in low speed modes? Drive next to a wall like a McDonald's drive through and press brakes completely to a full stop and hold brakes. The "warning noise" should be easily heard until full stop with brakes firmly applied when it goes off. Then let off brakes and the warning signal reappears. New feature in 2012 models including my Vee.
__________________ rj
12 Prius V Model 3
08 Prius
02 Tundra (sold Nov 2012 at 220,000 - only normal maintenance)
01 Accord (sold Dec 2012 at 217,000 - one recall tranny and rad fan)
The Following User Says Thank You to rjp For This Useful Post:
I test drove a TCH XLE today and did not notice any sort of whining sound when braking, we even had the radio off and didn't notice any sound. Thought the car was very quiet, was listening for wind noise on the expressway and didn't notice any of that either after several people say that they hear excessive wind noise.
For my 2012 hybrid and the demo car I tested, even gently braking may cause the siren-sound coming out (not always, but it comes), less louder but even more annoying because gently braking happens much more frequently than hard-braking.
Then "Houston, we have a problem!". Fortunately, it's fresh out of the oven, so go back to dealer, straight to customer satisfaction manager, AND RAISE HELL. They either fix it or replace it. will you imagine, fockers are trying to make more money on you? Shinjirarenai.!!!!
Hold on. you say - BOTH cars you drove have the same noise? And everyone tells you, there should be none? Now, THAT is really odd.
But no, there should be no audible cues when you brake with brake pedal, only when you brake with engine, in B position.
And the so called "noise maker" is for E-mode driving only, when engine does not run, and schmucks say they can jump in front of you car cuz they did not hear you come. not when braking.
Dealership didn't feel right about my car as it is even louder than average 2012 and is investigating. Overall I feel Toyota customer service is very nice. I have heard of bad customer service of GM which is as bad as their cars. Except the noise, my camry is very well built with plenty of power. But the noise ruined these and hopefully my car will become a quiet one.
mikecamry: I test drove 2012 Toyota Camry LE Hybrid last Saturday. I also heard the whining sound whenever I step on the brake. I like the car but I can't stand that sound. Did you find solutiong for that sound ?
mikecamry: I test drove 2012 Toyota Camry LE Hybrid last Saturday. I also heard the whining sound whenever I step on the brake. I like the car but I can't stand that sound. Did you find solutiong for that sound ?
It reminds me that I'm driving a hybrid and loving every minute of it!
Over the past few months I drove two separate 2012 Camry LE hybrids and both had the "noise" that you are talking about. You really have to listen for the "whine" to actually hear it especially with the radio on.
Yesterday I took delivery of a new 2012 Camry LE hybrid, barcelona red exterior color with grey interior fabric. It also has the "noise" but again you really have to be listening for it. I don't find the noise objectionable nor is it intolerable.
The noise or whine appears to be a characteristic of the regenerative braking system. People should be aware that it exists and if you find it objectionable don't buy the car!
It would be interesting to know if the Prius models create the same noise as well as the other hybrids like the Ford Fusion hybrid. Anyone have any experience with the other hybrids?
This is my fourth Camry since the first one back in 1990 (sweet V6) and my first hybrid vehicle. The fit and finish are excellent and the interior cabin area is very roomy especially for my 6' 4" frame. Trunk space is larger than the 2011 hybrid and one side of the rear seat folds down with a small pass through opening.
Looking forward to driving the car and to seeing what the actual mileage turns out to be after a few tanks of gas.
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