A prototype of Toyota Motor Corp.'s fourth-generation Prius hybrid vehicle sits parked ahead of the test drive at the Fuji Speedway on Nov. 12, 2015, in Oyama, Japan. (Photo : Getty Images/ Tomohiro Ohsumi)
Toyota Motor Corp. has launched a global recall of its gas-electric Toyota Prius sedan cars after reports of a potentially deadly defect with its parking brake.
The company is recalling about 340,000 units of the Prius worldwide, among them are 212,000 in Japan and 92,000 of the 2016 and 2017 models in the United States. Toyota Canada Inc. said that 17,000 Prius cars were recalled in Europe, and the rest in Australia plus other regions. According to the company, the problem cars were manufactured from August 2015 to October 2016.
"On the involved cars, there is a possibility that the cable of the parking brake can disengage unexpectedly." Toyota said on Wednesday in a statement. The company noted that if that occurs, the brakes will stop working properly and if the driver exits the car with the transmission in another gear besides park and the ignition is on, the car may start rolling away resulting to a crash.
Toyota acknowledged to have "received reports of the injuries, crashes and deaths." However, the Japanese automaker refused to add more details, saying it was "still analyzing the reports," the Associated Press reported.
Victor Vanov, Toyota spokesman, declined to provide specifics though he told USA TODAY in an email that, "Alleged crashes, fatalities and injuries are reported in many ways to many organizations."
The company said in a statement that Toyota Prius sedan dealers "will add clips on the top of the brake cable dust boots to stop the cable from becoming inoperative."
Toyota said that all the vehicles being recalled were manufactured at its Tsutsumi plant in Toyota city, Japan, the company's headquarters. This is one of the plants around the world that make the Toyota Prius.
Toyota Recalls 340000 Prius Hybrid cars for faulty parking video:
