After pressure from the U.S. and Japanese governments, Toyota has admitted that there was an issue with the brakes on the all-new 2010 Prius hybrid. Over 100 complaints about braking related issues have been reported to the NHTSA and roughly a dozen such reports to the authorities in Japan.
According to Toyota, Prius models sold before the end of January have an electrical defect whereby there is a brief loss of braking during the transition from the car's regenerative braking (which serves to power-up the car's hybrid battery) to its traditional friction braking. This only occurred when braking on icy or bumpy roads. Toyota refers to this as "slight unresponsiveness" and says it usually lasts less than a second.
The automaker has corrected the problem on all Prius models built since the end of January but has not issued a recall for consumers. A recall is being considered.
The 2010 Prius is not currently covered under any of Toyota's recalls, while the 2004-09 model is covered under the floormat recall.
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AutoGuide.com Toyota Recall News Hub.
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Report: Toyota Admits New Prius Did Have Brake Problems on AutoGuide.com
Report: Toyota Admits New Prius Did Have Brake Problems
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