TOKYO: Toyota Motor has been ordered by Japan’s government to investigate brake-related problems with its latest Prius hybrid, adding to company woes following the recall of millions of vehicles in overseas markets. The transport ministry has received 14 complaints about the model’s brakes since it was introduced in May, said Masaya Ota, an official in the recall division. The ministry contacted the company about the issue in August, said Shunsuke Miyaoka, who works in the same division.
An investigation of the Prius, the world’s best-selling hybrid vehicle, may further damage Toyota’s reputation after recalls of at least 7.6 million vehicles globally, including one that caused a halt of US sales and North American production of eight models. The Prius, Japan’s top-selling model last year, is not among vehicles for which sales were halted in the US.
“The Prius is Toyota’s flagship model, its key to the future,” said Ashvin Chotai, MD of London-based Intelligence Automotive Asia, a consulting company. “If that model gets tainted, that would suggest Toyota’s crisis has moved on to the next level.” Toyota spokeswoman Ririko Takeuchi said the government had ordered the investigation. She declined to say when officials contacted the company. The latest Prius model isn’t included in overseas recalls for repairs related to unintended acceleration.
In the US, 2004 through 2009 Priuses were part of a 5.35-million vehicle recall for floor mats that may trap gas pedals and cause unintended acceleration. The Prius wasn’t part of a separate US recall of 2.3 million vehicles because accelerator pedals may stick.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received more than 40 brake-related complaints about the 2010 Prius. There is no announced investigation. Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, said in an interview that his 2010 Prius had accelerated unintentionally and that Toyota and the US agency hadn’t responded to his complaints.
Japan’s transport ministry has asked other carmakers to investigate problems and complaints it received about acceleration and brake problems, Ota said. “This is something we do on a regular basis.”
The 14 complaints in Japan may not be statistically significant, Intelligence Automotive’s Chotai said. The Transport Ministry in December reported a total of 13 accidents in 2008 and 2009 related to gas-pedal and brake issues in vehicles from carmakers such as Mitsubishi Motors, Mazda Motor, Daihatsu Motor and Nissan Motor.
“Maybe we need more evidence,” Chotai said.
Toyota shares fell 5.7% to 3,400 yen in Tokyo. The carmaker’s US sales in January dropped 16% from a year earlier to a 10-year low.
The latest Prius has drawn more than 100 complaints related to brakes in the US, Kyodo News reported. The report, which cited the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, didn’t provide details about the complaints. Takanori Yokoi, a spokesman for Toyota in Tokyo, said he couldn’t immediately confirm or deny the report when reached by phone.
Karen Aldana, a spokeswoman for the US safety agency, didn’t return a call to her mobile phone or respond to an e-mail message sent after normal business hours.
Toyota is not aware of any complaints stemming from the issue in Europe, said Etienne Plas, a Brussels-based spokesman. More than 29,000 of the latest Prius model, of the same make as the Japanese and US versions, were sold in Europe between June and December last year, according to Plas.
Denso, a Japanese auto-parts maker, doesn’t make the electronic control systems related to the complaints about the Prius being reported in Japan, said spokesman Goro Kanemasu. He declined to name which models Denso’s electronic throttle control system is used in.
An investigation of the Prius, the world’s best-selling hybrid vehicle, may further damage Toyota’s reputation after recalls of at least 7.6 million vehicles globally, including one that caused a halt of US sales and North American production of eight models. The Prius, Japan’s top-selling model last year, is not among vehicles for which sales were halted in the US.
“The Prius is Toyota’s flagship model, its key to the future,” said Ashvin Chotai, MD of London-based Intelligence Automotive Asia, a consulting company. “If that model gets tainted, that would suggest Toyota’s crisis has moved on to the next level.” Toyota spokeswoman Ririko Takeuchi said the government had ordered the investigation. She declined to say when officials contacted the company. The latest Prius model isn’t included in overseas recalls for repairs related to unintended acceleration.
In the US, 2004 through 2009 Priuses were part of a 5.35-million vehicle recall for floor mats that may trap gas pedals and cause unintended acceleration. The Prius wasn’t part of a separate US recall of 2.3 million vehicles because accelerator pedals may stick.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received more than 40 brake-related complaints about the 2010 Prius. There is no announced investigation. Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, said in an interview that his 2010 Prius had accelerated unintentionally and that Toyota and the US agency hadn’t responded to his complaints.
Japan’s transport ministry has asked other carmakers to investigate problems and complaints it received about acceleration and brake problems, Ota said. “This is something we do on a regular basis.”
The 14 complaints in Japan may not be statistically significant, Intelligence Automotive’s Chotai said. The Transport Ministry in December reported a total of 13 accidents in 2008 and 2009 related to gas-pedal and brake issues in vehicles from carmakers such as Mitsubishi Motors, Mazda Motor, Daihatsu Motor and Nissan Motor.
“Maybe we need more evidence,” Chotai said.
Toyota shares fell 5.7% to 3,400 yen in Tokyo. The carmaker’s US sales in January dropped 16% from a year earlier to a 10-year low.
The latest Prius has drawn more than 100 complaints related to brakes in the US, Kyodo News reported. The report, which cited the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, didn’t provide details about the complaints. Takanori Yokoi, a spokesman for Toyota in Tokyo, said he couldn’t immediately confirm or deny the report when reached by phone.
Karen Aldana, a spokeswoman for the US safety agency, didn’t return a call to her mobile phone or respond to an e-mail message sent after normal business hours.
Toyota is not aware of any complaints stemming from the issue in Europe, said Etienne Plas, a Brussels-based spokesman. More than 29,000 of the latest Prius model, of the same make as the Japanese and US versions, were sold in Europe between June and December last year, according to Plas.
Denso, a Japanese auto-parts maker, doesn’t make the electronic control systems related to the complaints about the Prius being reported in Japan, said spokesman Goro Kanemasu. He declined to name which models Denso’s electronic throttle control system is used in.
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