Industry News
Toyota to recall faulty Prius hybrid
7th Febuary 2010
Toyota, reeling from car safety woes that have sullied its global image, will this week announce the recall of 300000 of its Prius hybrid because of brake flaws, newspapers reported yesterday.
The move will affect the latest model of the Prius, a car beloved by Hollywood stars and environmentalists, following scores of complaints about malfunctioning brake systems.
Leo Kok, manager of corporate public relations at Toyota South Africa, said yesterday that Toyota Japan has not made a decision yet on whether to recall the Prius as the decision is not safety-critical.
He said the decision will relate to a software upgrade and it is not yet clear if the Prius range in South Africa has the same software as those ranges currently under consideration.
Kok said Toyota hoped to have answers on the Prius this week.
Toyota imports the Prius into South Africa, and there are currently about 128 of the new-generation Prius in the country.
The Prius problems have dealt a new blow to Toyota, which has already had to recall about 8million cars around the world because of sticky accelerator pedals.
The Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said the Prius recall, to repair a software programme for the anti-lock braking system designed to prevent skidding, is expected to affect some 270000 vehicles in Japan and the US alone.
The Nikkei business daily said Toyota would also repair about 30000 vehicles sold in Europe, China, Australia, Middle East and other areas.
Toyota, the world's largest carmaker, has sold more than 300000 of the latest Prius in 60 countries and territories since the new model rolled out in May.
The problem can be fixed at Toyota dealerships in less than an hour, reports said, adding that units manufactured last month and after already have the updated software.
Toyota came under fire after it said it had fixed the Prius brake system last month without warning drivers who already own the model about possible brake failure.
Toyota faces a $2-billion bill from the recall. Last week the carmaker said it was on course to earn $880-million the fiscal year to March.
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