Toyota recalls 86,500 hybrids in the U.S, 250,000 cars total

Toyota Motor Corp. is recalling 242,000 hybrid vehicles worldwide, including 86,500 Toyota Prius and Lexus HS 250h hybrids in the United States, to fix a braking glitch.

The problem affects only model year 2010 Prius and HS 250h vehicles. Those cars are equipped with a brake-pressure accumulator that may develop a fatigue crack due to vibration, Toyota said in a statement Wednesday.

No accidents or injuries have been linked to the problem in any market worldwide, spokesperson Dion Corbett said.

The Prius, the world's best-selling hybrid, accounts for about 233,000 units of the global recall. The HS comes in at 9,000.

The recall targets only Prius models manufactured from March-October 2009 -- that car is the current third-generation Prius. The suspect HS hybrids were made from June-October 2009.

Cars produced after October 2009 were not affected because Toyota began using a different part then, timed with the October start of production of the Toyota Sai, Corbett said. The Sai is a Toyota-badged version of the Lexus HS that is sold in Japan.

Toyota received its first report of the problem in May 2010.

In the United States, about 81,500 Prius and 5,000 HS sedans are being recalled, Corbett said. Dealers will inspect the brake-booster pump. If it has a potentially defective accumulator, the dealer will replace it at no cost to the owner.

In other markets: Toyota recalled 30,000 Prius and HS hybrids in Europe as part of the action, and 117,000 in Japan.

The recall is the biggest targeting the Prius since November. At that time, Toyota called back 670,000 of the second-generation Prius in the United States to fix a possible water-pump problem and steering defect, as part of a global action.

Sourced from Automotive News: Toyota recalls 250,000 hybrids, 86,500 in U.S

By Hans Greimel- Automotive News