Tokyo : Toyota will recall 270,000 Prius hybrid vehicles over brake problems in the United States and Japan, a report said yesterday, while the beleaguered auto giant launched an investigation into possible problems with the brakes in two more hybrids including the luxury Lexus.
The recall would affect the new Prius hybrid model, and Toyota Motor Corp would soon notify Japan's transport ministry and the US Department of Transportation of the recall, Japan's top business newspaper, Nihon Keizai, said yesterday.
Official notice
Japanese public broadcaster NHK also said Toyota was considering a recall of Prius hybrids in the US and Japan. Takayuki Fujimoto, a transport ministry official, said the government has yet to receive a recall notice from Toyota. Toyota cannot announce a recall in Japan until it notifies the ministry.
Toyota spokeswoman Ririko Takeuchi said yesterday that Toyota had not yet decided whether to recall the Prius. "Nothing has been decided on whether we will recall or not," Takeuchi said.
The new Prius hybrid went on sale in Japan and the United States in May 2009. More than 170,000 of the new Prius models have been sold in Japan, with around 103,000 sold in the US since May.
Toyota, reeling from massive global recalls of 4.5 million vehicles involving faulty gas pedals, acknowledged Thursday design problems with the brakes in its prized Prius. Complaints about braking problems in the Prius — the world's top-selling gas-electric hybrid — have been reported in the US and Japan, combining to some 180.
Shares in Toyota rebounded yesterday from a 10-month low a day earlier, closing 1.1 per cent higher at 3,315 yen. But they have fallen about 20 per cent since January 21 when the automaker announced gas pedal recalls in the US.
On sale
Takeuchi said Toyota has launched a probe into two more hybrids — the luxury Lexus HS250h hybrid model and the compact luxury sedan Sai — for possible brake problems as the vehicles use the same brake system as the new Prius hybrid. "We want to ensure safety for our customers," Takeuchi said. Toyota has not received any complaints about the Lexus HS250h and the Sai. The luxury HS250h went on sale in Japan in July 2009, and September last year in North America.
Around 8,500 Lexus HS250h vehicles were sold in Japan from July to December 2009. In North America, Toyota sold 7,000 of the Lexus HS250h. The Sai went on sale in Japan in December 2009 with sales of 3,800 units. The Sai is sold only in Japan, and Toyota said it has no plan to export the vehicle abroad.
TV Asahi said Toyota will recall the Lexus HS250h and the Sai, along with the new Prius model. Toyota said Thursday it had corrected problems with the antilock brake system in the new Prius models sold since late last month, including those shipped overseas.
But the company said it was still deciding what steps to take to fix the problem in Prius cars sold in Japan and overseas before late January.
Manufacturer may have known of problems
Japanese auto giant Toyota has known about accelerator problems in some of its cars since 2007, German newspapers reported yesterday.
Tests ordered by Toyota then clearly demonstrated that the gas pedal could get stuck, Financial Times Deutschland (FTD) said, citing informed sources. In documents seen by the daily, the Auris model got stuck in several cases during a month of testing, with the problem occuring mostly in winter months when condensation collects inside vehicles.
Three different models made by what is now the world's biggest carmaker were checked and Toyota directors "were informed several times" of the results, the FTD said. The German economic weekly Wirtschaftswoche reported similar information in its latest edition.
Toyota has had to recall more than 8 million cars worldwide owing to problems with the accelerator and a floor mat that could get stuck and also cause cars to suddenly speed up.
Other glitches have since appeared in its flagship hybrid model Prius too.
In Germany, more than 215,000 cars covering eight models have been affected by the recalls. The situation has seriously damaged Toyota's hard-won reputation for quality construction and run up costs estimated at around $2 billion (Dh7.34 billion) so far.
— AFP
report
