Report: Toyota to recall 2010 Prius
Auto giant Toyota is expected to recall almost 300,000 Prius vehicles worldwide, ending several days of speculation about the much-embraced and honored hybrid.
Japan’s Kyodo News agency says the automaker will recall 100,000 hybrids in the U.S. and another 170,000 in Japan. The recall would affect only those Prius models that arrived at dealerships starting in May. Almost one of every five Prius hybrids sold nationwide were in California in 2009, according to California New Car Dealers Association statistics.
Federal and Japanese officials were not aware of Toyota’s planned recall as of 9:30 a.m. Monday, according to Associated Press reports.
Toyota admits to about 180 complaints in the U.S. and dozens more in Japan from hybrid owners who claim the brakes fail to work for a few moments when driving on bumpy roads. Federal officials say the brakes are suspected to be the cause in four accidents that led to two minor injuries.
If recalled, the fast-selling car — one of the most popular models in California — would become the latest problem for Toyota.
Toyota recently recalled eight of its best-selling models — including the Camry and Corolla — for accelerators that can become stuck. Toyota has told dealers to stop selling the vehicles until they can be repaired. Some dealerships are open round-the-clock to fix the problem for customers and vehicles for sale on the lot.
The Prius is far from the biggest-seller for Toyota, with 140,000 sold in the U.S. last year, compared to 357,000 Camrys. But the Prius has made the automaker the front-runner for hybrid technology with a loyal customer following, and easily the best-selling hybrid model.
Toyota sold 26,420 Prius models last year in California, about 13,500 fewer than the best-selling car in the state — the Camry.
Toyota is easily the largest automaker in California, selling 215,248 vehicles in 2009 — or about 25,000 more than Ford and Chevrolet, combined.
Toyota has six dealerships in the four-county Sacramento region.
Filed under: news by Forest