Toyota says it is recalling about 437,000 Prius and other hybrid vehicles worldwide to fix brake problems — the latest in a string of embarrassing safety lapses at the world’s largest automaker.
“I don’t see Toyota as an infallible company that never makes mistakes,” president Akio Toyoda said at a press conference yesterday in Tokyo. “We will face up to the facts and correct the problem, putting customers’ safety and convenience first.”
With the Prius announcement, the number of vehicles recalled globally by Toyota Motor Corp has ballooned to 8.5 million, some for floor mats that can trap gas pedals and faulty gas pedals that are slow to return to the idle position. The 2010 Prius wasn’t part of the earlier recalls.
There have been about 200 complaints in Japan and the US about a delay when the brakes in the Prius were pressed in cold conditions and on some bumpy roads. The delay doesn’t indicate a brake failure.
The company says the problem can be fixed in 40 minutes with new software that oversees the controls of the antilock brakes.
“Let me assure everyone that we will redouble our commitment to quality as the lifeline of our company,” Toyoda said.
Toyota officials went to Japan’s Transport Ministry earlier yesterday to formally notify officials the company is recalling the 2010 Prius gas-electric hybrid — the world’s top-selling hybrid car.
The automaker is also recalling two other hybrid models in Japan, the Lexus HS250h sedan, sold in the US and Japan, and the Sai, which is sold only in Japan.
The 223,000 cars being recalled in Japan include nearly 200,000 Priuses sold from April last year through Monday, according to papers the automaker filed with the ministry. The Prius is Japan’s top-selling car.
In the US, Toyota will recall 133,000 Prius cars and 14,500 Lexus HS250h vehicles. Nearly 53,000 Priuses are also being recalled in Europe. Toyota is suspending production of the Sai and Lexus HS250h in Japan until the updated software for those models is ready.
If drivers experience a delayed reaction when depressing the brakes in any of these models, they should keep pressing, according to Toyota and the transport ministry.
The Prius repairs will start in Japan today. US owners will start receiving letters about the recall next week.
Toyoda, the president, has been criticized for being largely invisible during the two weeks after the company announced the gas pedal recall in the US, Europe and China on Jan. 21.
TAIWAN
Owners of the 629 Prius vehicles in Taiwan were notified to bring their cars back to local agents yesterday.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications said that it has confirmed that the recall applies to Prius cars built between June 29 last year and Jan. 27.
Hotai Motors (和泰汽車), Toyota’s local agent, hosted a press conference yesterday on the recall. Owners with any questions about the recall can call Hotai Motors’ toll-free number, 0800-221-345.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SHELLEY SHAN, STAFF REPORTER
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