TORRANCE, Calif. — Toyota announced yesterday that it is aware that NHTSA has opened a preliminary evaluation centered on owner complaints of a braking issue with the 2010 model year Prius, and said it will cooperate fully with NHTSA’s investigation. 
According to a report from BusinessWeek, Toyota has received 14 brake-related complaints about the most recent Prius model, since its introduction in May 2009. In addition, Prius model years 2004 through 2009 have been added to the list of models recalled to address the risk of floor mat entrapment of accelerator pedals — an issue first reported on approximately 2.3 million vehicles in mid-January.
While some media outlets have reported that Toyota is mulling over the idea of recalling several hundred thousand 2010 Priuses for the brake issue, the Washington Post said Toyota has denied this claim.
Meanwhile, Toyota Motor Sales (TMS) said its dealers nationwide have received the parts, information and training necessary to fix accelerator pedals in recalled Toyota Division vehicles, and that repairs on involved vehicles have begun. The automaker said the actual repair requires only about 30 minutes of work.
Toyota said it also has begun mailing letters to owners of recalled vehicles to let them know when to bring their vehicles into a dealership. Owners will only receive a letter if their vehicle is involved in the recall. Upon receipt of a notification letter, owners will be asked to contact a local Toyota dealership to schedule an appointment to have their vehicle fixed.
“Nothing is more important to us than the safety and reliability of the vehicles our customers drive, and we are determined to live up to the high standards people have come to expect from Toyota over the past 50 years,” said Jim Lentz, president and chief operating officer, TMS. “Everyone at Toyota is focused on making this recall simple and trouble-free for our customers.
“We’re working hard to ensure that our dealers have the resources and support they need to make sure our customers get their cars fixed quickly,” Lentz added. “The parts have been shipped, the dealers are trained, and they are already making the repairs. Many of our dealers are working extended hours – some 24/7– and adding service technicians and other staff to complete the recall campaign as conveniently as possible. I appreciate the efforts that our dealers are making to take care of Toyota owners.”
Toyota’s engineers developed and tested a solution to address the potential for sticking accelerator pedals that is both effective and simple. A precision-cut steel reinforcement bar will be installed into the accelerator pedal assembly on affected vehicles, which is intended to eliminate the excess friction that Toyota believes has caused pedals to stick in rare instances.
