Government Opens Probe Into Prius Brake Problem

(Feb. 4) -- The U.S. Department of Transportation today opened an investigation into brake problems on the 2010 model of Toyota's famed Prius hybrid.

While still under fire over massive recalls in the U.S., an embattled Toyota Motor Corp. acknowledged that a software glitch causes a less-than-one-second delay in the vehicle's anti-lock brake system. Complaints over the Prius's brake performance in the U.S. now total 124, including four crash reports, all received by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Toyota executives at the automaker's headquarters in Tokyo stopped short of issuing a recall for the Prius. Toyota said it has identified and corrected a software glitch for 2010 models sold since late January, but it is still looking into how to notify 2010 Prius owners who earlier purchased the model, which was released in May.

"We are investigating whether there are defects in the Prius," Toyota Managing Officer Hiroyuki Yokoyama told reporters.

Japan's transport minister has urged Toyota to consider a recall, but Yokoyama said, "We would want to be given a little time."

At issue is a brief pause felt by drivers during slippery conditions, as the Prius's traditional, hydraulic brake system switches to the electronically operated brakes exclusive to hybrids. The "disconnect" described by officials may cause a car going 60mph to travel another 90 feet before the brakes take hold.

"The complaints received via our dealers center around when drivers are on a bumpy road or frozen surface," said Paul Nolasco, a Toyota Motor Corp. spokesman in Japan. "The driver steps on the brake, and they do not get as full of a braking feel as expected."

Complaints on the NHTSA Web site's database illustrate some Prius drivers' insecurity about the vehicle's braking system.

"I have been driving my 2010 Prius for six months and have experienced the following nearly 10 times," one owner wrote. "When braking, if a pothole or bump in the road is hit, the car seemingly jerks forward/accelerates for a split second."

In Japan, at least one Prius driver complained that faulty brakes caused his vehicle to crash head-on into another car. Toyota said that after looking into the accident, it determined there was no problem with the Prius involved.

Nevertheless, the defect tarnishes the squeaky-clean reputation of the Prius, the world's best-selling gas hybrid, and delivers another blow to an already-struggling Toyota, which recalled 2.3 million vehicles Jan. 21 because of sticky gas pedals.

"The latest Prius troubles have really damaged Toyota's brand," Ryoichi Saito, auto analyst at Mizuho Investors Securities Co. Ltd. in Japan, told The Associated Press. "Uncertainty over the Prius trouble will only prompt more consumers to dump Toyota."

On Thursday, Toyota estimated that the global gas-pedal recall will cost $2 billion, representing $1.1 billion for repair costs and $770 million to $880 million in lost sales.