Will They or Won't They? Toyota Mum on Potential Prius Recall
February 05, 2010
The beat goes on for Toyota Motor Corp. and its problems with keeping vehicles on the 
acceleration or deceleration trajectories drivers desire.
After two recalls involving millions of conventionally powered Toyotas, the microscope has swung to the franchise player, the Prius hybrid-electric vehicle.
Reports are mounting that the new-generation 2010 Prius does not brake consistently -- and that Toyota knew about it without telling customers.
The company had identified a lag when the Prius transitions from the regenerative braking that recharges its batteries to the conventional friction brakes as the driver slows the vehicle.
Late last month, Toyota began producing Prius' with software reprogrammed to alleviate the lag but reportedly did not alert those who already had bought 2010 Prius' made prior to the fix for the inconsistent braking condition.
A report from Japan indicated Toyota will institute a formal recall of the Prius, but as of late Thursday, Toyota would not confirm it plans an official recall in Japan or the United States. In a quickly arranged press conference in Japan Friday, Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda, grandson of the company founder, said the automaker is still investigating how to handle the Prius issues.
Edmunds.com's Green Car Advisor provides a detailed rundown of Toyota's latest engineering and customer-relationship snafu here.
Intensifying attention on the matter of hybrids and how they brake, Ford Motor Co. Thursday announced it is initiating a "customer satisfaction program" to deal with the same problem in its 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and Mercury Milan Hybrids. Ford also said some customers have complained of "different" brake feel in certain braking situations and said it, too, will reprogram the hybrids' software to alleviate the disconcerting transition between regenerative braking and "real" braking.
Again, Edmunds Green Car Advisor provides full details and perspective of Ford's action here.
And to stay up-to-the-minute with the latest in Toyota's unfolding recall and related developments, Edmunds.com, parent of AutoObserver, has a wide-ranging and continually updated informational Web page offering everything from breaking news to video guidance on how to control a vehicle with a stuck accelerator pedal. -- Bill Visnic, Senior Editor
Posted by Michelle Krebs at 5:21 AM under Technology | Comments (1) | digg this | Seed Newsvine
It sure is strange that Toyota hasn't jumped all over the Prius problem with a released fix. There must be some sort of technical or financial difficulty in doing in the field what they were able to do in the factory. I smell another embarrassment around the corner.
Note that Ford's problem is not the same as Toyota's. The Prius loses braking power momentarily. The Ford does not. It only changes pedal position and feel, which most people would react to by pressing harder on the brake which does stop the car as intended.
Posted by: johnaz | February 06, 2010 at 4:22 AM