Toyota recalls Prius in Japan
Last Updated: Monday, February 8, 2010 | 11:01 PM ET
The Associated Press
Toyota Motor Corp. is recalling 170,000 Prius hybrid cars in Japan for braking problems and will soon disclose details of its global plans for a fix.
The automaker will hold a news conference at its Tokyo office Tuesday to outline details of the braking problem, including plans for a possible recall in North America.
Toyota Motor Corp.'s new Prius hybrid model, which is called 2010 Prius in the U.S., is displayed at the Toyota museum in Japan on Saturday. (Itsuo Inouye/Associated Press)Toyota said it will inform Japan's Transport Ministry later in the day it is recalling the 2010 Prius gas-electric hybrid that went on sale last year.
Also being recalled are two other hybrid models — the Lexus HS250h sedan and the Sai, which is sold only in Japan.
U.S. safety officials have launched an investigation into problems with the brakes.
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 gas pedal.
The automaker has fixed the programming glitch in Prius models that went on sale since last month, but had done nothing yet on the cars sold before then, according to Toyota.
There have been nearly 200 complaints in Japan and the U.S. of drivers experiencing a short delay before the brakes kick in — a problem that can be fixed with a software programming change.
The problem is suspected in four crashes resulting in two minor injuries, according to data gathered by the U.S National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is investigating.
Toyota says it's co-operating with NHTSA's investigation.
Toyota said its plug-in hybrid is also being recalled, but that is still a largely experimental model for rental and government use in limited numbers and isn't for mass commercial sale.
