Toyota Prius, Lexus hybrid owners advised to monitor brakes - NHTSA also reviewing complaints about steering problems in some Corollas

Toyota Prius, Lexus hybrid owners advised to monitor brakes - NHTSA also reviewing complaints about steering problems in some Corollas
and Jerry Hirsch
Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune
February 9, 2010
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sc-biz-0210-toyota--20100209,0,3651435.story


Reacting to Toyota Motor Corp.'s decision to recall 2010 Prius and Lexus hybrids, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Tuesday advised owners of the affected vehicles to contact a dealer immediately if they noticed a change in the performance of their brakes.

"Loss of braking is most likely to occur when traveling over an uneven road surface, pothole or bump," the agency said in a statement. "If this occurs, the agency advises owners to continue to firmly press on the brake to stop the vehicle. As an extra precaution, drivers can leave extra stopping distance."

NHTSA announced last week that it was opening a formal investigation into braking problems with the 2010 Prius hybrid after receiving 124 complaints about momentary loss of braking ability. The agency said Tuesday that its investigators had spoken with consumers about the complaints as their investigation began.

The agency also said it was reviewing complaints about steering problems in the 2009 and 2010 Toyota Corolla. NHTSA received 67 complaints about steering in the 2009 Corolla and 17 in the 2010 Corolla, according to the agency's database.

A Transportation Department spokeswoman said a review of complaints was standard to determine if an investigation is warranted.

Meanwhile, State Farm Insurance said Tuesday that it has received numerous inquiries about alleged unwanted acceleration problems in Toyota and Lexus vehicles in recent years and notified federal officials of the problem more than two years ago.

"We routinely track claim trend information and periodically communicate with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In this case, State Farm notified NHTSA in late 2007 about an uptick in situations involving alleged unwanted acceleration in Toyotas," said Kip Diggs, the insurer's spokesman.

The inquiries from State Farm policyholders were first reported by USA Today.

Also Tuesday, Honda Motor Co. expanded an existing safety recall, adding more than 378,000 cars for air bag inflation problems. The company said it will replace the driver's side air bag inflator on the cars because they can deploy with too much pressure, causing the inflator casing to rupture and injure or kill the driver.

The recall now affects more than 822,000 vehicles, including certain 2001 and 2002 Accord sedans, Civic compacts, Odyssey minivans, CR-V sport utility vehicles and some 2002 Acura TL sedans. Honda said it is aware of 12 incidents linked to the problem, with 11 injuries and one death.

The latest Toyota safety recall comes as the automaker has begun to air a commercial aimed at restoring confidence in its vehicles on network and cable television stations, as well as on YouTube.

The spot is just one of Toyota's efforts to reach consumers. The company has purchased banner ads on 400 Web sites and is running radio commercials.

Toyota has recalled more than 8 million vehicles worldwide in recent months after reports of unintended acceleration, which the automaker has blamed on gas pedals that stick and on floor mats that can entrap the gas pedal. Some safety experts believe the issue could be with the electronic throttle control system in the vehicles, a claim that Toyota has refuted.

Late Monday, Toyota said it was recalling an additional 437,000 vehicles, including 133,000 Prius and 14,500 Lexus models in the U.S. Owners will receive letters starting next week instructing them to bring the vehicles to a dealership to update software in the anti-lock brake system.

Sharon Bernstein of Tribune Newspapers and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

jpuzzanghera2@tribune.com