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

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 United States.

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-Calif., 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.”

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