Toyota decides to recall over 170,000 Prius cars in Japan+

NAGOYA, Feb. 7 Kyodo -
Toyota Motor Corp. has decided to recall and repair free of charge the latest
model of its Prius hybrid sold in the domestic market due to complaints over
brake problems, sources close to the matter said Sunday.
Subject to the recall are at least 170,000 units of the Prius car, which went
on the market last May.
The automaker has begun notifying its dealers and is expected to report the
plan to the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry early this
week, before announcing it to the public, the sources said.
Toyota has sold more than 300,000 units of the Prius in about 60 countries. The
company intends to begin recalls or voluntary repairs outside Japan as well,
they added.
In Japan, manufacturers need to report a recall plan to the ministry when their
products are found not to meet safety standards and the cause lies in the
design and production processes.
Toyota has said the problems with the Prius are not fundamental defects and has
sought to fix them under a voluntary ''service campaign.''
But the company has apparently concluded that a recall is unavoidable if it
wants to regain the trust of its customers.
Toyota has received a number of complaints involving the brakes on the latest
model of its popular Prius hybrid car in Japan and abroad. The complaints
allege that the car suffers from momentary brake failure when traveling over
uneven surfaces, potholes or bumps in the road.
Under the recall, the company plans to fix the problem by improving the
software for the antilock brake system.
The fix can be made at Toyota dealerships in less than an hour. Vehicles
manufactured in late January and after already have the updated software.
The company has reportedly began informing its dealers in the United States
about a similar recall plan involving some 100,000 Prius vehicles sold there.
The gas-electric Prius hybrid car has been a symbol of Toyota's technological
strength and was the best-selling car in Japan last year.
Prius recalls would deal a heavy blow to the automaker, which has already
recalled millions of vehicles from other product lines around the world over
different problems.
==Kyodo