Toyota to file recall over Prius brakes in US, Japan

I / Nagoya February 08, 2010, 15:50 IST

Toyota Motor Corporation is set to file a recall over brake problems with its 2010 Prius hybrid both in the United States and Japan, in a move that will affect more than 270,000 vehicles, sources familiar with the matter said today.

The world's biggest automaker decided it needs to act promptly to address growing complaints over its best-selling hybrid model with criticism already mounting about its response to a recent spate of quality issues, including a massive global recall over faulty gas pedals in some of its other vehicles, sources said.

The planned recall would affect about 100,000 units in the US and around 170,000 units in Japan. The model was released last May in Japan and in June in the US.

Dealers in Japan, which have already been notified of the recall, will begin the repair once Toyota reports it to the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry, which is expected to happen early this week, according to the sources.

Because dealers cannot notify their customers about a recall until the official procedure with the government is completed, many are currently scrambling to deal with a growing number of inquiries from confused drivers.

"If there is a problem, I wish they would admit it quickly and disclose specific measures (to address it)," a dealer in Hiroshima Prefecture said.

Toyota officials earlier emphasised that complaints over the Prius brakes temporarily not working properly do not involve serious defects and that the automaker has sought to fix them on a voluntary basis under what they dub a "service campaign".