Toyota Tells Dealers It Has Fix for 2010 Prius Brake Problem
By John O'Dell February 6, 2010
Toyota Motor Corp., hustling to contain the additional damage its recently disclosed 2010 Prius brake problem is doing to a reliability reputation already battered by two recalls related to unintended acceleration in other models, has told its dealers that it will announce details of a fix for the popular hybrids' braking system next week.
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Bob Carter, group VP of Toyota. introduces the 2010 Prius at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2009.
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No other details were available.
The company said earlier this week that there is a short "lag" in braking force when the 2010 Prius' electronic controls shift from regenerative braking - which slows the car by using the electric motor as a generator to recharge the batteries - and normal hydraulic braking when the car is being driven on bumpy or slick roads.
Government safety agencies in the U.S. and Japan have received nearly 200 complaints about the system, most originating in the U.S. - where four accidents have been attributed to a loss of brake power in 2010 Priuses.
Toyota said it had identified a software flaw as the cause of the problem with Prius brakes and had revised software for models built since late January but had not yet figured out how to apply it to the approximately 270,000 third-generation - or 2010 model year - Priuses sold before then.
In an e-mail to Toyota dealers late Friday, Toyota group vice president Bob Carter said that news of the problem "has prompted considerable customer concern, speculation, and media attention due to the significance of the Prius image." The automaker, he wrote, is "moving rapidly to provide a solution for your existing customers."
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