► 625,000 Prius models affected
► Comes weeks after Takata airbag plague
► Recalls affects cars around the world
Not for the first time, a Toyota recall has made the headlines. Coming just weeks after it was announced that Toyota (and a number of other Japanese car manufacturers) were recalling millions of models due to defective airbags made by supplier Takata, Toyota has announced today (15 July 2015) another large-scale recall.
This time, it’s an issue specifically affecting certain older Toyota Prius models. A malfunction within the car’s hybrid drive system could, in certain circumstances, cut the system’s power and bring the car to an unscheduled halt. A software glitch affecting the ECUs controlling the motor/generator and hybrid system is to blame, putting extra thermal stress on certain transistors. This has resulted in the recall of 625,000 Prius cars globally.
No injuries have been linked with this latest reliability issue.
The models affected
Toyota has announced that three models have been affected by the hybrid malfunction, specifically the larger people carrier variants of the Prius. These are the Prius Plus (Europe), Prius V (U.S) and Prius Alpha (other markets).
The cars affected run from May 2010 to November 2014.
Tough times at Toyota
The world’s largest car manufacturer has suffered from a plague of recalls in recent years, most recently the Takata airbag debacle which has led to the recall of more than 3 million cars, but also the recall of a further 1.9 million Prius models in 2014 due to a separate issue.
Click here to read CAR’s Toyota Prius Plus review.