Drivers of recalled Toyota Prius and Lexus hybrids advised to monitor brakes

By Jim Puzzanghera
February 9, 2010
Reporting from Washington - Reacting to Toyota Motor Corp.'s decision to recall 2010 Prius and Lexus hybrids, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Tuesday advised owners of the affected vehicles to contact a dealer immediately if they noticed a change in the performance of their brakes."Loss of braking is most likely to occur when traveling over an uneven road surface, pothole or bump," the agency said in a statement. "If this occurs, the agency advises owners to continue to firmly press on the brake to stop the vehicle. As an extra precaution, drivers can leave extra stopping distance."The NHTSA announced last week that it was opening a formal investigation into braking problems with the 2010 Prius hybrid after receiving 124 complaints about momentary loss of braking ability. Four of the complaints alleged that the problems caused crashes. The agency said Tuesday that its investigators had spoken with consumers about the complaints as their investigation began.Toyota said late Monday it was recalling 437,000 vehicles, including 133,000 Prius and 14,500 Lexus models in the U.S.Owners will receive letters starting next week instructing them to bring the vehicles to a dealership to update software in the anti-lock brake system.Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Tuesday said that U.S. officials would continue to press the Japanese automaker to address safety concerns."Last Thursday, NHTSA opened a formal investigation of 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles in response to consumer complaints about braking difficulties, and today, Toyota has acknowledged a safety defect," LaHood said. "When I spoke with Toyota President Akio Toyoda last week, he assured me that his company takes U.S. safety concerns very seriously. The U.S. [Department of Transportation] will remain in constant communication with Toyota to hold them to that promise."U.S. transportation officials have come under fire, along with Toyota, for not reacting more quickly to concerns about sudden acceleration problems in Toyota vehicles. The automaker has recalled more than 9 million vehicles worldwide in recent months to address that issue. A congressional committee had been scheduled to grill Toyota and U.S. officials on Wednesday about the safety problems.But that hearing by the House Government Oversight and Reform committee has been postponed because of the snowstorm that hit Washington last week and another scheduled for Tuesday night, according to a spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista), the top Republican on the panel. The hearing has been rescheduled for Feb. 24, the spokesman said.In an opinion article Tuesday in the Washington Post, Toyoda promised to communicate more frequently with U.S. officials and reiterated his public vow last week to address safety and quality control issues. The company "will be more vigilant in responding to those officials on all matters."Today, Toyota team members and dealers across North America are working around the clock to repair all recalled vehicles," Toyoda wrote. "But to regain the trust of American drivers and their families, more is needed. We are taking responsibility for our mistakes, learning from them and acting immediately to address the concerns of consumers and independent government regulators."
-From LATimes