By MARK RAWCLIFFE
More than 400,000 of Toyota’s green flagship vehicle, the Prius, were recalled worldwide this week, with Toyota Caetano Portugal recalling 201 vehicles, due to reports over braking issues.
A spokesman for Toyota Caetano Portugal said this week that all the three generation Prius models sold in Portugal between September 2009 and January 31 2010 are being recalled, but only some will need repairing.
Toyota already had to recall more than eight million cars worldwide due to an issue with accelerator pedals of some of its models of cars.
And now concerns in the US about steering issues with the Corolla and brake pipes leaking on the Camry have added further stress to the car giant that was regarded as the world’s most quality-conscious car maker.
The latest Toyota recall will upgrade computer software for the Anti-Lock Braking System or ABS in the third generation Prius models manufactured prior to January 27, 2010.
It also affects the Lexus HS250H, regarded as being the most luxurious hybrid on the market today.
The recall details a problem which may occur when the car is driven on rough, uneven and slippery surfaces. The issue has already been addressed in Prius models manufactured this year.
Prior to the Prius recall, Toyota announced that losses would exceed 1.23 billion pounds sterling in costs and losses in sales as a direct result of the global recall due to the “sticky pedal” last week.
Have you been affected by the recent car recalls by Toyota, Peugeot-Citröen and Honda? (Also read ‘Car giants in total recall’, Algarve Resident, February 5 edition).Please email your comments to Editor Inês Lopes at [email protected].
