Toyota Likely to Begin Recall of 2010 Prius Models this Week
The Wall Street Journalreports
that Toyota may begin recalls of 2010 Priuses for the defective braking issue.
Toyota Motor Corp. will likely start recall or voluntary repairs to fix the braking system problems of the latest model of its highly-popular Prius hybrid in Japan as soon as early this week, people familiar with the matter said Sunday.
One person said Toyota also intends to take similar steps in the U.S. and other overseas markets simultaneously, but didn't elaborate. Toyota will likely "take an action early this week," the person said.
The move goes a step further for Toyota, whose president Akio Toyoda, a member of the founding family, gave "a heartfelt apology" for causing a massive world-wide vehicle recall affecting over 8 million cars related to problems with its accelerator pedals and floor mats.
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In Japan, Toyota has already provided information, including what caused the Prius problems, to its dealerships, but the company has not specifically decided what form the customer support would take--a recall or voluntary repairs, the people familiar with the matter said.
One of the people said service to owners of the newest Prius model may start as soon as soon as Monday. The fix will take 20 to 30 minutes to rewrite a software program.
Toyota has received a great deal of criticism in both the U.S. and Japan for its slow response to the crisis and lack of communication with customers. The CEO of the company finally apologized on international television last week, but many felt his words were insufficient to stem the tide of bad PR the recalls have engendered. It didn't help that Akio Toyoda looked uncomfortable in front of the cameras. He looked like he would rather have been anywhere else than on TV apologizing for his company's errors.
