February 09, 2010
Toyota Recalls 2010 Prius, Lexus HS 250h & Some Camrys
TORRANCE, CA - Toyota Motor Sales announced it will conduct a voluntary safety recall on approximately 133,000 2010 MY Prius vehicles and 14,500 Lexus Division 2010 HS 250h vehicles to update software in the vehicle's anti-lock brake system (ABS).
No other Toyota, Lexus, or Scion vehicles are involved in this recall.
The ABS, in normal operation, engages and disengages rapidly (many times per second) as the control system senses and reacts to tire slippage. Some 2010 Prius and 2010 HS 250h owners have reported experiencing inconsistent brake feel during slow and steady application of brakes on rough or slick road surfaces when the ABS is activated in an effort to maintain tire traction.
Toyota said it has responded to owner concerns with a running production change for 2010 Prius that was introduced last month, improving the ABS system's response time as well as the system's overall sensitivity to tire slippage. The production change for the HS 250h is planned for later this month.
Last week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced it was opening a formal investigation into the 2010 Prius' braking problems.
"We're committed to doing everything we can -- as fast as we can -- to restore consumer trust in Toyota, and these recalls are part of this effort," said Jim Lentz, president and chief operating officer at Toyota Motor Sales. "We regret the inconvenience this recall will cause to Prius and HS 250h owners, and will do our best with the support of our dealers to make sure that it is conducted in the most trouble-free manner possible."
As part of the quality improvement program announced by Toyota President Akio Toyoda last week, the company is "undertaking a top-to-bottom review to ensure that our vehicles meet our own high standards of safety and reliability, now and for the future," Lentz added. "We are taking steps to implement more stringent quality control across the company, to investigate customer complaints more aggressively and to respond more quickly to any safety issues we identify."
The recall will allow Toyota dealers to perform the software update on 2010 Prius vehicles sold prior to this running production change. Only Prius vehicles produced since May 2009 and all HS 250h vehicles are subject to this recall. First- and second-generation Prius vehicles use a different ABS system and are not involved in this safety recall campaign.
The ABS system on the Lexus HS 250h is similar in design to the Prius. The software adjustment planned for HS 250h production and dealer modification is being finalized and will be announced very soon, Toyota said.
Toyota will begin mailing letters to Prius owners included in this recall next week and HS 250h owners within the next few weeks, to let them know when to bring their vehicles into a dealership. Owners will only receive a letter if their vehicle is involved in the recall.
Separately, Toyota said it will conduct a voluntary safety recall on approximately 7,300 early-production MY 2010 Camry vehicles equipped with the 4 cylinder engine to inspect for a power steering hose that may be in contact with a front brake tube. This contact could lead to a hole in the brake tube and cause a brake fluid leak, increased brake pedal stroke and greater vehicle stopping distance.
Owners of the involved 2010 Camry vehicles will be notified by mail starting in the middle of February.
For more information, visit www.toyota.com/recall or call the Toyota Customer Experience Center at (800) 331-4331.