Toyota issues mass recall of Prius on safety concerns

AFP - Toyota Motor said Tuesday that it would recall more than 400,000 hybrid vehicles around the world, including its latest Prius model, to fix faulty brakes, in a fresh blow to its brand image.
   
The company is pulling roughly 223,000 hybrid vehicles in Japan and about 147,500 in the United States due to a problem with the anti-lock braking system, in a recall that also extends to Europe and other markets.
   
It will offer a software fix for the affected models: the newest Prius, the plug-in Prius, the Sai sedan and the luxury Lexus HS250h.
   
Drivers "can experience reduced braking performance resulting in increased braking distance," the automaker said in a statement.
   
It said the delay occurs when the vehicle switches to the conventional hydraulic brake from regenerative braking, used by hybrids to capture the energy of the car's motion to recharge the battery for its electric motor.
   
The trouble comes on top of recalls of more than eight million vehicles worldwide due to sticking gas pedals that have severely dented the image of the company, which overtook General Motors in 2008 to become world number one.