CNN Reports Toyota Will Announce Global Recall of Its Prius Hybrid Within Hours
By Scott Doggett February 8, 2010
Toyota will announce a global recall of its 2010 Prius hybrid vehicles, a source with knowledge of the plans told CNN, the network reported this evening.
The auto manufacturer will file recall papers with the Japanese government Tuesday and follow with announcements in other countries where the car is sold as the day goes on, the source said.
Calls by Green Car Advisor to various Toyota spokesmen seeking comment shortly after CNN aired its report were not immediately returned.
Last week, the company admitted a problem with the software that controls the anti-lock braking system of the 2010 model of the car and said it had found a solution for cars that started to roll off of the assembly line in Japan last month.
It has yet to find a solution for the estimated 37,000 cars already on U.S. roads or the more than 200,000 of the 2010 model year vehicles that have been sold worldwide, but the company said Friday that a solution was "near."
Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales in the United States, during an online video interview this evening, declined to say when - or if - Toyota would recall the car.
"We're going to do whatever it takes to make sure our customers feel secure and safe with our products," Lentz said of the Prius issue.
When the problem was originally brought to light last week, Toyota executives initially described it as a momentary delay in braking when the car was driving over slippery or bumpy surfaced such as ice or rutted roads.
Lentz, speaking about the problem on Digg.com today, described it as a change in braking feel, a description that Toyota has begun using more recently when talking about the issue.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg news service reported this evening that lawsuits against Toyota, the world's largest automaker, will push the cost of recalls linked to sudden acceleration past a $2 billion company estimate for warranty payments and lost sales.
People who purchased Toyota vehicles in the U.S. have filed at least 34 class action lawsuits against Toyota, seeking damages that range from loss of car value to a return of profits.
Toyota faces at least 12 individual lawsuits claiming deaths or injuries caused by unwanted acceleration of vehicles. Customer lawyers said they're considering filing dozens more.
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