Toyota Launches Recall For Prius Hybrid
Toyota has launched a global recall on Feb. 13 for its Prius hybrid to fix a problem that causes the vehicle to stall. Toyota blames the problem on a software glitch, which is also causing problems for its RAV4, Tacoma trucks and Lexus RX350 SUVs.
The recall of the Prius, one of America’s best-selling passenger cars and the top-selling vehicle in California, covers 1.9 million hybrids from the 2010 through 2014 model years. It involves about 1 million cars in Japan, about 700,000 in North America and the rest in Europe and other regions.
Toyota said it will update software in the electronic controls of the car.
The software’s current settings could generate heat in some of the transistors in the car’s circuits, damaging the parts. When this happens, warning lights on the dashboard activate. In rare circumstances, the hybrid system might shut down while the vehicle is being driven, creating a sudden stall.
The automaker said it knows of no accidents or injuries resulting from the problem.
In the other recalls, Toyota will update software on certain 2012 RAV4s, 2012-13 Tacomas and 2012-13 Lexus RX350 models to fix an electronic circuit condition that can cause the vehicle stability control, anti-lock brake and traction control functions to turn off intermittently.
Analysts said the size of the recalls reflects Toyota’s reaction to past criticism that it didn’t move fast enough in recent years to address sudden acceleration issues in 2009 and other problems in its cars.
“Toyota is trying to be more transparent and is more aggressive than other automakers with recalls. But it doesn’t seem to be that big of a deterrent for consumers,” said Jessica Caldwell, an analyst with the auto information company Edmunds.com Inc.
“I don’t think there is that big of an impact from something like a software update,” Caldwell said. “It is not a recall where there are crashes or people are dying.”
Alec Gutierrez, an analyst at the auto information firm Kelley Blue Book Co., said there have been very few reports of a Prius stalling because of the software glitch that prompted the recall.
“Instead, it seems as though this is another case of Toyota trying to stay ahead of the curve by proactively issuing a recall to ensure those that own a Prius would not be at risk,” Gutierrez said.
“Although consumers continue to give Toyota the benefit of the doubt, with the competition today stronger than Toyota has ever seen, they need to keep a keen eye on their quality to ensure current owners and potential intenders don’t begin to look elsewhere when it comes time to buy a new vehicle,” he said.
Toyota recalled nearly 5.3 million vehicles in the U.S. last year, more than any other automaker, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Japanese automaker topped Chrysler Group, which came in second by calling back almost 4.7 million vehicles.
Overall, automakers recalled almost 22 million cars last year, NHTSA said. That was 34% higher than the previous year and the most since 30.8 million vehicles were recalled in 2004, according to the agency.
Toyota’s latest recall comes as it is negotiating a settlement of a four-year federal criminal investigation into whether it properly reported to safety regulators complaints about incidents of sudden acceleration in its vehicles.
