Toyota set for new recall on brake concerns

Date: Monday 08 Feb 2010

Japanese car giant Toyota’s woes look set to worsen with the group poised to recall 300,000 Prius hybrid models because of concerns over the brakes.

Toyota already faces a $2bn bill for the recall of over 8m cars worldwide due to problems with accelerators sticking, but this latest setback to the Prius, its flagship ‘green technology’ model, will be another major blow to its diminishing credibility.

There’s also talk that the recall could be widened to include the ‘luxury hybrid' Lexus HS250h. Local press say the vehicle, which has sold over 15,000 units, will be recalled once the carmaker has worked out a fix for the braking control software.

Its Sai hybrid sedan could also need mending, although less than 4,000 have been sold and only in Japan.

Toyota president Akio Toyoda was forced to make a public apology last week after a warning from the Japanese government that its problems were damaging the reputation of all of the country’s Japanese manufacturers.

Reports today said Toyota will warn Prius owners that the brakes on their cars may fail in icy conditions or on bumpy surfaces.

A spokesman for Toyota Europe said: “We have been told any action would be global and the question is what we can do to reassure our customers. At the moment we are following the correct processes.”

The Japanese firm is said to be looking into potential problems with brakes on its other hybrid models and whether it is linked to the green technology.

The firm reportedly identified the problem with the Prius braking system last year and has rectified the problem on models produced this year.

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