Toyota Is Expected to Add 2010 Prius to Recalls

Toyota Is Expected to Add 2010 Prius to Recalls
By HIROKO TABUCHI
Copyright by The New York Times
Published: February 7, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/business/global/08recall.html?th&emc=th


TOKYO — Toyota plans to recall at least 311,000 of its 2010 Prius hybrid models after receiving a flurry of complaints about the vehicle’s brakes, a person briefed on the decision said late Sunday.

The decision is to be announced early this week, this person said. It comes after Toyota’s recall of about eight million cars worldwide over gas pedals that could stick or become caught on floor mats. The size of the recalls and questions about Toyota’s slow response to safety concerns have stung the automaker, which built its reputation on vehicle quality.

Regulators in the United States opened an investigation into the brakes of the 2010 Prius last week after complaints from drivers who said they had been briefly unable to stop their cars on uneven surfaces. The Japanese government has also said it is looking into the matter after similar complaints were reported in Japan.

Toyota executives acknowledged on Thursday that the company had identified a flaw in the car’s braking system and corrected it for Priuses built since late January, which would not be part of the recall. The Prius, which runs on a combination of gasoline and electric power, was redesigned for the 2010 model year.

Toyota sold about 311,000 Priuses for the 2010 model year as of the end of December, including 103,000 in the United States and 176,000 in Japan.

An announcement will come early this week and cover all regions where the latest model has been sold, said the person briefed on the plan, who was not authorized to speak on the record.

The automaker is also looking into the two other hybrids with the same braking system — the Lexus HS250h and a model sold in Japan, the Sai — to determine whether they are at risk.

The 2010 Prius has an overhauled regenerative brake system different from those in previous models. Toyota says the 2010 model’s system increased fuel efficiency.

With regenerative braking, energy from the wheels is used to help recharge the car’s battery. The car also has an antilock brake system.

The Prius and other hybrid models also rely on electronic systems that combine regenerative braking with conventional brake pads, so the battery can absorb as much energy as possible while the pads do most of the work of stopping the car.

Toyota has determined that the problem occurred as the car switched to conventional from regenerative brakes just as the antilock brake system kicked in.

Toyota’s president, Akio Toyoda, apologized for the recent recalls at a news conference on Friday and said the company would cooperate fully with American authorities investigating the matter.

In Tokyo on Monday, shares in Toyota fell 1.1 percent to 3,280 yen, erasing initial gains