TOKYO – Toyota is recalling nearly 200,000 of its signature Prius green cars in Japan for braking problems, the latest in a string of embarrassing safety lapses at the world's largest automaker.
Toyota Motor Corp. president Akio Toyoda will hold a news conference at the automaker's Tokyo office later Tuesday to outline details of the braking problem, including plans for a possible recall in the U.S., a company official told The Associated Press.
The number of Prius gas-electric hybrids being recalled would swell to about 300,000 if there is a recall in the U.S. and other regions.
The braking problem for the third-generation remodeled Prius is the latest safety woe for Toyota, which is already trying to fix problems in millions of vehicles recalled for other defects, including a sticky gas pedal.
Mike Michels, a spokesman at Toyota's U.S. headquarters in Torrance, Calif., would not confirm a U.S. recall, but said the timing of any U.S. recall announcement "would be the same as in Japan." A U.S. Department of Transportation spokeswoman said Toyota had not informed it of any recall.
Toyota officials went to Japan's Transport Ministry to formally notify officials the company is recalling the 2010 Prius gas-electric hybrid — the world's top-selling hybrid car — and two other hybrid models.
In total, the recall involves over 223,000 hybrid cars. Toyota will recall nearly 200,000 Priuses sold in Japan from April last year through Monday, according to papers the automaker filed with the ministry.
There have been nearly 200 complaints in Japan and the U.S. of drivers experiencing a short delay before the brakes kick in. The delay doesn't indicate a brake failure.
A fix requires new software that oversees the controls of the antilock brakes, the papers say.
Toyota had earlier said a fix was already in cars in production starting late last month, but it was unclear if the recall includes those cars as well.
The two other hybrids being recalled are the Lexus HS250h sedan, sold in the U.S. and Japan, and the Sai, which is sold only in Japan. The new software for those models is still being worked out, Toyota said.
"We have decided to do a recall," said Hiroyuki Yokoyama, a Toyota manager, as he handed papers for the recall to a government official. "We will do our best to regain customers' trust."
Toyota's plug-in hybrid is also being recalled in Japan — a largely experimental model for rental and government use, with 159 sold.
U.S. safety officials have launched an investigation into problems with the brakes.
The problem is suspected in four crashes resulting in two minor injuries, according to data gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is investigating the matter. Toyota says it's cooperating with NHTSA's investigation.
Toyota is in the midst of recalling more than 7 million vehicles worldwide because of problems with floor mats, which can trap gas pedals, and faulty gas pedals that are slow to return to the idle position. The 2010 Prius wasn't part of either recall.
Problems with hybrid braking systems haven't been limited to Toyota. Ford Motor Co. said last week it plans to fix 17,600 Mercury Milan and Ford Fusion gas-electric hybrids because of a software problem that can give drivers the impression that the brakes have failed. The automaker says the problem occurs in transition between two braking systems and at no time are drivers without brakes.
The Prius is Toyota's top-selling model in Japan, but not in the U.S., where the company sold 140,000 last year, far less than the 357,000 Camrys. But it holds a cherished spot in its lineup and is symbolic of Toyota's leadership in the "green" car market.
Toyota was one of the first companies to mass-market a hybrid that combines an electric motor with a gas engine, introducing the Prius in Japan in 1997. Its high gas mileage made it popular among environmentally conscious drivers, especially when gas prices spiked two years ago.
But the complexity of the Prius, a highly computerized car, has led to problems in the past. In 2005, the company repaired 75,000 of them to fix software glitches that caused the engine to stall. It has also had trouble with headlights going out.
In an op-ed Tuesday in The Washington Post, Toyoda said the automaker was working hard to regain the trust of customers.
"We are taking responsibility for our mistakes, learning from them and acting immediately to address the concerns of consumers and independent government regulators," he said.
"Whatever problems have occurred within our company, the strength and commitment to fix them resides within our company as well."
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