As you probably know, Toyota has issued several major recalls recently. So far, one of the greenies favorite cars, the Prius, has not been involved in any of the major recalls, but owners of earlier models were advised to take out their floor mats to keep them from blocking the accelerator pedals. Should Prius owners be concerned for their safety?
The Toyota Prius was first introduced to the U.S. consumers in 2001 after being released in Japan in 1997. There was much anticipation of this vehicle as it is a full hybrid electric car. So far, there have been over one million Pruis’ sold, with half of them being sold in the U.S. For a while, at least where we live, once gas prices spiked, it was difficult to get a Prius and you had to get on a waiting list.
The Pruis had not been among the eight million Toyotas recalled, but now officials are showing concern. The Japanese government has ordered an investigation into the Prius and its braking system and now the U.S. Transportation Department has started its own investigation. These investigations came, in part, because of 124 reports of problems with the Prius which resulted in four crashes. The crashes were all due to problems with the brakes.
Only two people suffered from minor injuries, but I guess it was enough for the call for investigations. Toyota is reportedly thinking about recalling the 2010 Prius, with a spokewoman saying they are looking to make an announcement soon of what type of action, if any, the company plans to take.
Nikkei English News, a Japanese newspaper, said online today that Toyota was planning to recall 270,000 Prius’ sold in the U.S., but failed to disclose where it got that information from. However, a spokesman for Toyota’s sales unit in Torrance, Calif. said the U.S. recall had yet to be confirmed.
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