2023 Hybrid Suddenly Grabby Brakes

[DannyUncanny]

My 2023 Hybrid is about 4 months old now. Until now the brakes have been just fine.

We just came back from a ski trip where we driving up and down lots of mountains and sitting in the cold overnight and now the brakes grab hard and jerk the truck when slowing down. It’s super annoying!

I thought the grabby brakes issue was a 2022 software thing that I would t have to worry about. And why would it start very suddenly after driving in the mountains? Is it possible that putting it in L on long descents damaged something?

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[RCollins]

Putting it in L should not affect the brakes. Come to a stop after descending some hills. Get out and feel the wheels to see if one is hotter than the rest. Maybe one brake is dragging and pulling you to one side or the other, the direction it goes is the side with the problem.

 

[DannyUncanny]

No problems at all on the hills. It’s low speed driving now that we’re back in town. The car lurches hard when it tries to blend the electronic and hydraulic brakes just before coming to a stop.

I thought maybe using the regen motor hard in the mountains might have weakened it so now it doesn’t blend smoothly anymore.

 

[The Real Maverick]

It for sure does this more in wet and cold.

Was this your first wet & cold in a while?

Unlikely you or any driver did anything. This is a quirk. A glitch. Probably 100% fixable.

 

[Doosenberry]

Mine only does that when it's moist out, like in the morning after a rain. Just do one fairly hard stop to engage the actual brake pads (make the brake coach go into the white instead of just the green) and the pads will wipe the moisture off the rotors.

I do that right after getting in for my first drive and stopping before hitting the main street where I live.

The physical brakes only engage around 3 mph or something like that if you're just using the regenerative braking, so that's why it jerks to a stop right at the last moment.

 

[Ozarkbeard]

If you have Auto-Hold enabled, that might contribute to grabby brakes. That's the only time my Hybrid has had the issue. So I keep it turned off, since I rarely drive where there are many traffic signals.

Also, there is a software fix for grabby brakes, on certain older Hybrid Mavericks. You might check and see if it applies to yours.

 

[Ken L]

I agree with Doosenberry. I was thinking that it resembles the grabby brakes on a regular braking system first thing in the morning in damp or rainy weather when your rotors were wet or a slight rust coating. We would always ride the brakes for a bit to clean and dry them.
With the regenerative braking, I can slow to 5 km/hr without even touching the brake pedal. Even then that short use of the friction brakes is not enough to start to warm up the friction material.

Ken

 

[VicRattlehead]

My 24 is hit or miss if it’s grabby or not. I’m gonna start paying attention to weather when it does it.

 

[Zevot]

If there is enough space, I discovered that breaking while in reverse is the quickest way to wipe the surface corrosion/moisture as regen does not kick on while using the brakes in reverse. When it is raining out, the grabby issue is worse so I always try to brake hard enough to engage hydraulic brakes periodically to wipe the rotors. The brakes usually work okay but sometimes in wet conditions in seems more unpredictable. Usually braking hard enough to wipe the rotors makes a big difference, bit I do feel like the braking at low speeds could use a lot of improvements. There are also times I feel like it doesn't apply enough braking and I need to apply more force than is normal or expected based on muscle memory.

 

[Snowbird]

I have noticed the brakes on my 23 Hybrid being a little touchy when it is rainy.

 

[AutobahnSHO]

Seems wet or cold conditions make ours grabby. I wonder if it's a learned thing- cars adapt themselves to driver style, maybe the mountain trip made it adjust some. Maybe it will go back to 'normal' after some local driving?

 

[RedRider]

Seems wet or cold conditions make ours grabby. I wonder if it's a learned thing- cars adapt themselves to driver style, maybe the mountain trip made it adjust some. Maybe it will go back to 'normal' after some local driving?

Ford used to use asbestos pads. They switched to non-cancer-causing hygroscopic pads on all their vehicles since about 1980. Unfortunately in high humidity, they tend to grab. The aftermarket pads are typically better built, and do not exhibit this behaviour. So you're pretty much stuck with the problem until you get to your next brakejob. Just don't go to the Ford dealer and get the poor-material pads that they have been using for 50 years.

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