Toyota set to recall Prius hybrid over brake failure
In a further humiliation for the company, the owners of 300,000 cars will be told that their brakes may fail on icy surfaces
Leo Lewis, Robert Lea and David Robertson
Toyota is to order a humiliating global recall of the Prius the hybrid electric car which has become the leader of the green motoring revolution.
In a deepening of the crisis at the worlds largest car manufacturer, Toyota will this week warn 300,000 Prius owners 3,500 of them in the UK that the brakes on their car may fail in icy conditions or on bumpy surfaces.
The news follows hard on last months recall of 8 million Toyotas over fears of accelerator pedal defects in several models. In Britain, the owners of 180,000 Toyotas have been told that their cars may have problems which lawyers in the US claim have led to 19 deaths.
Sources close to the company told The Times that the recall of the third generation Prius, launched last year, will happen within the next 72 hours.
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.
Prius drivers in Britain are already aware of potential braking faults. Green Tomato Cars, a London taxi firm that operates a Prius-only fleet, runs 27 of the Mark 3 Toyota Prius.
It said it is yet to have any problems but is meeting with Toyota GB today to discuss the issue. A company statement said: All of our Mk3 driving avoiding and managing the issues and reporting to us should it occur.
The new Prius is an eco-model which is sold for between £19,500 and £22,600. Its celebrity devotees include Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lopez and Cameron Diaz, but its brakes have been the subject of complaints in Japan and America.
Since last May around 170,000 of the new model have been sold in Japan, a further 100,000 in the US and nearly another 30,000 in Europe. The car has also been the subject of a big sales push in the Middle East.
The Prius scare may not end with the high-profile hybrid. Toyota is still investigating whether the same braking issues apply to other cars in its hybrid range, including several Lexus models that use the same energy saving technology.
Toyota insists that reported braking problems with the Prius are a phenomenon rather than a defect
Under Japanese law, Toyota is expected to register the domestic recall of the Prius with the Government before announcing it to the public.
Not only does the latest scare puncture Toyotas green credentials but it is also likely to heap further financial misery on the company that has seen its share price collapse. The recall over the accelerator pedal is already expected to cost $2 billion (£1.28 billion).
In some countries, such as the US, a full recall is likely. In other countries it is believed Toyota will present the initiative to customers as part of a safety campaign
Toyota president Akio Toyoda was forced into a public apology last week after Yukio Hatoyama, Japans Prime Minister, offered Mr Toyoda harsh advice as to how Toyotas protracted problems were dragging down the reputation of Japanese manufacturing generally and Japan itself.
Dealerships across Japan have been told to prepare for a deluge of Prius owners bringing their cars in for free repair. Across the world, Toyota technicians have been advised that they will have to work round the clock to assist owners of cars with potentially defective accelerator pedals.
The Prius braking problem, it is understood, can be fixed via a software upgrade that may take around an hour per car.
The fault lies in the computer system that links the Priuss two braking systems one conventional, the other part of the energy-storage technology.
Toyota is believed to have identified the braking problems in the Prius late last year. It has already made changes on its Japanese production line.
Prius models built since January have received the necessary software upgrades.
In a further humiliation for the company, the owners of 300,000 cars will be told that their brakes may fail on icy surfaces
Leo Lewis, Robert Lea and David Robertson
Toyota is to order a humiliating global recall of the Prius the hybrid electric car which has become the leader of the green motoring revolution.
In a deepening of the crisis at the worlds largest car manufacturer, Toyota will this week warn 300,000 Prius owners 3,500 of them in the UK that the brakes on their car may fail in icy conditions or on bumpy surfaces.
The news follows hard on last months recall of 8 million Toyotas over fears of accelerator pedal defects in several models. In Britain, the owners of 180,000 Toyotas have been told that their cars may have problems which lawyers in the US claim have led to 19 deaths.
Sources close to the company told The Times that the recall of the third generation Prius, launched last year, will happen within the next 72 hours.
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.
Prius drivers in Britain are already aware of potential braking faults. Green Tomato Cars, a London taxi firm that operates a Prius-only fleet, runs 27 of the Mark 3 Toyota Prius.
It said it is yet to have any problems but is meeting with Toyota GB today to discuss the issue. A company statement said: All of our Mk3 driving avoiding and managing the issues and reporting to us should it occur.
The new Prius is an eco-model which is sold for between £19,500 and £22,600. Its celebrity devotees include Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lopez and Cameron Diaz, but its brakes have been the subject of complaints in Japan and America.
Since last May around 170,000 of the new model have been sold in Japan, a further 100,000 in the US and nearly another 30,000 in Europe. The car has also been the subject of a big sales push in the Middle East.
The Prius scare may not end with the high-profile hybrid. Toyota is still investigating whether the same braking issues apply to other cars in its hybrid range, including several Lexus models that use the same energy saving technology.
Toyota insists that reported braking problems with the Prius are a phenomenon rather than a defect
Under Japanese law, Toyota is expected to register the domestic recall of the Prius with the Government before announcing it to the public.
Not only does the latest scare puncture Toyotas green credentials but it is also likely to heap further financial misery on the company that has seen its share price collapse. The recall over the accelerator pedal is already expected to cost $2 billion (£1.28 billion).
In some countries, such as the US, a full recall is likely. In other countries it is believed Toyota will present the initiative to customers as part of a safety campaign
Toyota president Akio Toyoda was forced into a public apology last week after Yukio Hatoyama, Japans Prime Minister, offered Mr Toyoda harsh advice as to how Toyotas protracted problems were dragging down the reputation of Japanese manufacturing generally and Japan itself.
Dealerships across Japan have been told to prepare for a deluge of Prius owners bringing their cars in for free repair. Across the world, Toyota technicians have been advised that they will have to work round the clock to assist owners of cars with potentially defective accelerator pedals.
The Prius braking problem, it is understood, can be fixed via a software upgrade that may take around an hour per car.
The fault lies in the computer system that links the Priuss two braking systems one conventional, the other part of the energy-storage technology.
Toyota is believed to have identified the braking problems in the Prius late last year. It has already made changes on its Japanese production line.
Prius models built since January have received the necessary software upgrades.
