Repairs on recalled Toyota models began in earnest Thursday at Fort Myers Toyota, but troubles for the brand seem far from over after reports said the popular Prius hybrid was to be recalled in the U.S. and Japan because of brake problems.
Before that recall was reported, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it had opened an investigation into the Prius, the best-selling hybrid in the U.S., citing 124 reports it received from consumers about its brakes, including four crashes.
Complaints that antilock brakes can fail momentarily on some 2010 models in slippery conditions or on rough roads prompted the investigation.
Japan’s top business newspaper said today Toyota will soon notify Japan’s transport ministry and the U.S. Department of Transportation of the recall of 270,000 Prius vehicles in the U.S. and Japan, though the company did not confirm the report.
Toyota later announced it is investigating possible brake problems with its luxury Lexus hybrid in Japan and the U.S.
Pamela Templeton, vice president of Fort Myers Toyota, said the sticky accelerator pedals that resulted in the recall of eight Toyota models.
Templeton said the Toyota brand is being subjected to unprecedented scrutiny.
“This is a different measuring stick being applied to Toyota than has ever been applied to any automaker,” Templeton said.
The Prius investigation – while preliminary – represents another setback for Toyota, which has been battered with two major recalls in the United States covering millions of vehicles. Those involve gas pedals that can get trapped under floor mats or become stuck on their own and fail to return to the idle position. The safety inquiries have challenged Toyota’s long-standing reputation for building safe, quality vehicles.
Technicians were trained to make the prescribed accelerator repairs Wednesday and began scheduling repairs.
Templeton said the dealership will expand its hours to serve all customers, if necessary, but too few of the repair parts are in stock to justify that.
Toyota owner Stephanie Daukas took in her 2010 Camry for the recall service at 10 a.m. Thursday and was on her way shortly after 11 a.m.
“I’m a very happy and satisfied customer right now,” Daukas said.
She said the reports about the Prius didn’t concern her about overall Toyota safety.
“I think they are a strong company and they can fix everything, but it is going to take some time,” Daukas said.
There are about 680,000 Toyotas manufactured since 2006 registered in the state, including 23,711 – or about 4 percent – that belong to Lee County drivers.
Preliminary figures show 203 crashes in Lee County in 2009 involved Toyota vehicles, or less than 2 percent of all crashes.
Statewide, there were 6,493 crashes involving Toyotas in 2009.
Lt. Chris Miller, spokesman for the Florida Highway Patrol, said he is unaware of any cases in the state where crashes were attributed to faulty accelerators or malfunctioning equipment.
Toyota said Thursday it is evaluating brake problems with the 2010 Prius gas-electric hybrid.
The company says it made a change in the 2010 braking system last month to correct cars in production. Asked if Toyota would recall the 2010 Priuses, spokesman Brian Lyons said: “It’s too soon to call at this point. We will of course fully cooperate with NHTSA in that investigation.”
Lyons also said Toyota is checking other hybrid models in its lineup to see if they have the same braking system as the 2010 model.
The U.S. investigation came after the Japanese government ordered Toyota to investigate brake problems in the Prius. The new version of the vehicle went on sale in the U.S. and Japan in May 2009.
NHTSA said it opens 100 investigations every year and there are currently 40 open.