S. Korea reviewing possible recall of Prius

SEOUL, Feb. 5 (Yonhap) -- The government was reviewing a possible recall of
Toyota Motor Corp.'s popular Prius as the Japanese automaker admitted a problem
in the braking system of its popular hybrid car, officials said Friday.
Although Toyota has not recalled the Prius despite the brake problem, Japanese
newspapers reported that the company will recall 270,000 Prius models in the U.S.
and Japan.
Toyota started selling the Prius in South Korea from October last year and there
are about 540 Prius cars on the road here, according to the Ministry of Land,
Transportation and Maritime Affairs.
"Regardless of a recall (of the Prius) by Toyota, we are checking whether the
Prius should be subject to recall," said a ministry official.
Public relations officials at Toyota's Korean unit were not immediately available
for comment.
This week, the ministry ordered Toyota's Korean unit to recall 444 units of the
Camry and the RAV4 vehicles sold by gray importers or brought in by individuals
due to defective gas pedals and floor mats.
The recall did not affect more than 19,000 vehicles imported and sold by Toyota's
Korean unit because they did not use the type of accelerator pedal or floor mat
covered by the massive recall, the ministry said.
If the ministry orders Toyota to recall the Prius, it would further tarnish the
company's reputation in the Korean market.
Sales of Toyota vehicles plunged 33.2 percent last month from December in South
Korea as the Japanese automaker reeled from the massive worldwide recall,
industry data showed.
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