Less than three weeks after announcing the recall of 2.3 million vehicles for accelerator problems, Toyota yesterday announced yet another recall of almost 150,000 additional cars, this time for possible brake problems.
After days of media reports about the brake problems, Toyota on Monday announced it would conduct a voluntary safety recall on approximately 133,000 2010 Model Year Prius vehicles and 14,500 Lexus Division 2010 HS 250h vehicles to update software in the vehicle’s anti-lock brake system.
No other Toyota, Lexus or Scion vehicles are involved in the newest recall.
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 has responded to those concerns with a 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.
The recall will allow Toyota dealers to perform the software update on 2010 Prius vehicles sold prior to the production change.
Only Prius vehicles produced since May 2009 and all HS 250h vehicles are subject to the current recall. First- and second-generation Prius vehicles use a different ABS system and are not affected.
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 soon, the company said.
Jim Lentz, president and chief operating officer of Toyota Motor Sales said the company was also undertaking a “top-to-bottom review” of operations in the wake of recent recalls.
“As part of the quality improvement program announced by Toyota President Akio Toyoda last week, our 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 said. “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 latest recall did little to sooth concerns of increasingly nervous dealers. Locally, one Toyota dealership manager echoed concerns he initially voiced during the first round of recalls.
Last week, he said his dealership was “afraid to get too far out in front of this thing” in case the scope of the recall widened. Today, he said he hoped this was the end of Toyota’s recall problems.
“This was exactly what we were concerned about – more cars and more models getting recalled. We simply can’t afford to lose any more customer confidence, especially in this weak economy,” the manager said. “Toyota needs to get on top of this and get things back on track. We need to be selling cars, not fixing mistakes.”
The manager asked that neither his name nor the name of the dealership be used.
“I’m not the only one worried about this. I’ve talked to some other (Toyota) dealers in the past week or two, and they feel the same way,” he said. “We’re just trying to keep our head down and work through this, but it’s really getting frustrating.”
Toyota will begin mailing letters to Prius owners included in the 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 will conduct yet another voluntary recall on approximately 7,300 early production 2010 model Camry vehicles equipped with the four-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.
In addition to the two recalls announced on Monday and the January recall for accelerator problems, late last year Toyota also recalled a number of Toyota and Lexus models in which floor mats could “trap” the accelerator pedal.
That recall was announced Nov. 25 of last year.
