PIC: ALERT: Toyota recalls millions of its latest Prius after a fault causes the hybrid car to stop without warning

********RECALL ALERT*************

FROM: MO

Toyota is recalling nearly 31,000 of its latest Prius hybrid cars because of a computer glitch which could cause the vehicle to shut down and stop. The UK measure is part of a 1.9million recall of Prius models worldwide and is the latest in a long line of embarrassing incidents to have beset the firm.

The new recall affects 30,970 of the current third generation petrol-electric Prius models registered in the UK and manufactured between March 2009 and February 2014. It said the latest incident involved the software used in the ?boost converter? which helps control the flow of power. The boost converter is required when accelerating hard from standstill.

It said there had been 11 incidents across Europe of the computer problem but said there had been no accidents or injuries. The company said today that the software defect could lead to key electrical transistor parts ?deforming or being damaged?.

It noted: ?Should this happen, warning lights may be illuminated and the car is likely to switch to ?failsafe? operation. It can still be driven, but with reduced power. ?In limited cases the hybrid system may shut down, causing the vehicle to stop. The driver will not experience any change in the vehicle?s behavior or performance prior to the problem occurring.?

Toyota added that the issue would not occur in the company?s other hybrid vehicles because they use different systems. The UK recall will involve a software update. The firm said: ?Worldwide, there have been no reports of any accidents or injuries relating to this issue. Vehicle owners will be contacted by Toyota within the coming weeks by post or telephone and asked to make an appointment to bring their car to their nearest Toyota center.

?The software update will take about 40 minutes; the work will be carried out free of charge.? Toyota is Japan?s biggest carmaker and for a period became the world?s biggest carmaker. But experts say that this dash for growth led to Toyota ?taking its eye off the ball? in terms of quality.

Controversy in 2009 and 2010 over floor mat and accelerator pedal issues ? including a row over a fatality for which Toyota has denied responsibility ? led to a recall of more than 12million vehicles and fines from US regulators. Sales fell and the carmaker is still trying to rebuild its reputation.

There have been a total of 400 reports filed about the fault, with the majority originating in North America and Japan. Toyota added that 11 of these reports were recorded across Europe, yet confirmed none had resulted in accidents or injuries.

The problem is said to be caused by an issue with the software used in the Prius' ?boost converter? feature. The boost converter is required when accelerating hard from standstill and helps control the flow of power. Toyota said the software defect could lead to key electrical transistor parts ?deforming or being damaged.' Yet assured drivers: ?Should this happen, warning lights may be illuminated and the car is likely to switch to 'failsafe' operation.

?It can still be driven, but with reduced power. In limited cases the hybrid system may shut down, causing the vehicle to stop. The driver will not experience any change in the vehicle's behavior or performance prior to the problem occurring.?

The issue is restricted to the third-generation models and doesn?t affect the company's other hybrid vehicles because they use different ?transistor structures and control logic.? The recall will involve an update of the control software. A total of 30,970 models registered in the UK have been recalled.

All affected vehicle owners will be contacted by Toyota within the coming weeks by post or telephone and asked to make an appointment to bring their car to their nearest Toyota center, in accordance with Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) guidelines.

The software update is said to take around 40 minutes to complete and Toyota said the work will be carried out free of charge. Toyota is Japan's biggest carmaker and for a period was the biggest car maker in the world. Experts claim that a dash for growth led to Toyota ?taking its eye off the ball? in terms of quality.

This recall is the latest in a long line of embarrassing incidents which have beset the firm in recent years. Controversy in 2009 and

2010 over floor mat and accelerator pedal issues led to a recall of more than 12 million vehicles. The Japanese carmaker is still trying to rebuild its reputation and regain customer trust after that fiasco, which saw the firm's head apologizing to consumer. View the attachments for this post at:
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