Toyota Recall Update #24: 2010 Toyota Prius and 2010 Lexus HS 250h

TORRANCE, California — As its quality problems continue to mount, Toyota early Tuesday morning officially recalled 133,000 2010 Toyota Prius vehicles and 14,550 2010 Lexus HS 250h vehicles in the United States. The recall is part of a global recall of about 400,000 vehicles worldwide, according to a statement by Toyota.

The global recall pertains to four models: the Prius, the Prius Plug-in Hybrid, the Sai (which is built and sold only in Japan) and the HS 250h sold in Japan. "In addition to the Prius, we are now preparing remedies for the other three models," said Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda in a statement on Tuesday. "We will suspend sales of those three models, or suspend deliveries to customers in the case of completed purchases, until we have prepared the solutions."

Toyoda added: "I regret the quality and safety issues that have caused concern for our customers."

In the U.S. part of this recall, Toyota said its dealers will perform a software update on 2010 Prius vehicles sold prior to a running production change that was introduced last month. A production change for the HS 250h is planned for later this month, it said. "Only Prius vehicles produced since May 2009 and all HS 250h vehicles are subject to this recall," said Toyota's U.S. arm in a statement. "First- and second-generation Prius vehicles use a different ABS and are not involved in this campaign."

Owners of the 2010 Prius and 2010 HS 250h have reported experiencing what Toyota calls "inconsistent brake feel" during slow and steady application of brakes on rough or slick road surfaces with the ABS activated.

Toyota said it will begin mailing letters to Prius owners included in the new recall next week and to HS 250h owners within the next few weeks to let them know when to bring their vehicles into a dealership.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced February 4 that it was opening a formal investigation of the Prius to look into consumer complaints of momentary loss of braking capability. NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation said it has received 124 reports from U.S. consumers, including four reports alleging that crashes occurred as a result of the ABS problem.

The Prius recall comes on the heels of a recall of 2.3 million Toyota vehicles for sticking accelerator pedals and a separate recall to fix floor mats that have trapped the accelerator pedal in some Toyota and Lexus models.

Inside Line says: The Prius and Lexus HS 250h join the roll call of recalled Toyota vehicles, as the Japanese automaker's once-sterling reputation grows ever more tarnished. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent