Toyota admits potential Prius recall
Toyota is considering a recall of the 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid after fresh reports of a potentially deadly braking fault with another of its vehicles.
Friday, 05, Feb 2010 12:07
By Alex Plough
Car manufacturer Toyota is considering a recall of the 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid after fresh reports of a potentially deadly braking fault with another of its vehicles.
Company officials in Tokyo said that while no decision has yet been taken, it has identified a flaw in the car's antilock braking system which allegedly causes a momentary loss of braking capability while travelling over an uneven road surface, pothole or bump.
The announcement comes a day after the US national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) launched a formal investigation of the car after receiving 124 complaints from consumers, including four who alleged that crashes were caused by the issue.
On Wednesday the US transportation secretary, Ray LaHood, sent Toyota's stock plummeting after advising owners of the affected cars to "stop driving". Speaking at a Congressional subcommittee that morning, he told ex-colleagues: "My advice is, if anybody owns one of these vehicles, stop driving it. Take it to a Toyota dealer because they believe they have a fix for it."
If a recall went ahead, it would affect 103,000 new vehicles in the US and 176,000 in Japan. A recall in Europe would affect around 32,000 Priuses, including 6,689 in the UK.
A press release from the UK arm of Toyota, states that "there have been no reported problems in the UK or Europe with the braking performance of the current, third-generation Prius".
In reference to complaints in the US and Japan, it adds: "Toyota will keep investigating the issues one by one, and consider whether or not there is a safety issue."
The 2010 Prius hybrid is the latest Toyota vehicle with alleged safety flaws. The Japanese manufacturer announced just last week the recall of more than 180,000 vehicles due to a braking fault that causes the accelerator pedal to stick down.
The owners of 250 Toyotas have reportedly experienced the fault, with drivers describing their cars as sometimes hurtling out of control at 65mph, while around 10,000 drivers have so far contacted a hotline set up by Toyota to allay fears.
The mechanical flaw, caused by a combination of wear and cold weather conditions, could affect seven models, the Yaris, Aygo, iQ, Auris, Corolla, Verso and Avensis.
Miguel Fonseca, managing director of Toyota GB, released this statement of the company's website: "I would like to start by apologising to our customers for any concern we have caused. As you may have heard, in extremely rare cases there has been an issue with the accelerator pedal in certain Toyota models.
"Customer safety is always the primary focus for Toyota and, understandably, never more so than now. Which is why, as a precaution, we are recalling every car that may develop this condition.
"Please be assured that this is a very rare condition and that we are committed to fixing every car that might be affected. We will start making repairs from next week. Looking after our customers is our number one priority."