7:29 am, February 12, 2014
JAPANESE giant Toyota is to recall 1.9 million Prius hybrid models due to a fault with the cars’ speed control systems.
The company has said it will recall the cars – some 1.9m of them across the world, and around 30,000 in the UK – to fix the hybrid system’s boost converter software. The problem sees cars slow down suddenly in some instances.
A Toyota spokesperson told Sky News: ‘In limited cases, the hybrid system might shut down and the vehicle will stop, perhaps while being driven.
‘The car may stop while driving, but not suddenly. It would slow down, eventually to stop.’
Toyota GB has confirmed that third-generation Prius models built between March 2009 and February 2014 will be recalled – some 30,790 cars.
‘All the vehicles affected by this issue are being recalled so that the control software can be updated,’ a statement read on the company’s UK blog.
‘Vehicle owners will be contacted by Toyota within the coming weeks by post or telephone and asked to make an appointment to bring their car to their nearest Toyota centre, in accordance with Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) guidelines.
‘The software update will take about 40 minutes to complete; the work will be carried out free of charge.’
