Toyota in worldwide Prius recall

Feb 9 2010

Toyota is to recall about 400,000 Prius and other gas-electric hybrid cars worldwide for brake problems.

This is the latest in a string of embarrassing safety lapses at the world's largest car-maker.

Toyota Motor Corp president Akio Toyoda will hold a news conference at the company's Tokyo office later to outline details of the braking problem.

The braking problem for the third-generation remodelled Prius is the latest safety woe for Toyota, which is already trying to fix problems in millions of vehicles recalled for other defects, including a sticky accelerator pedal.

Toyota officials went to Japan's transport ministry to formally notify officials the company is recalling the 2010 Prius gas-electric hybrid - the world's top-selling hybrid car - and two other hybrid models.

In total, the recall involves over 223,000 hybrid cars. Toyota will recall nearly 200,000 Priuses sold in Japan from April last year until Monday, according to papers the carmaker filed with the ministry.

There have been nearly 200 complaints in Japan and the US of drivers experiencing a short delay before the brakes kick in.

The delay does not indicate a brake failure. A fix requires new software that oversees the controls of the antilock brakes, the papers said.

Toyota had earlier said a fix was already in cars in production starting late last month, but it was unclear if the recall includes those cars as well.

The two other hybrids being recalled are the Lexus HS250h sedan, sold in the US and Japan, and the Sai, which is sold only in Japan. The new software for those models is still being worked out, Toyota said.