The Toyota Motor Corp. is recalling its 340,000 hybrid Prius cars worldwide. Toyota has recently released a statement addressing the said decision. They reveal that those vehicles have a defect in its parking brake.
Toyota's Prius Worldwide Recall
Toyota revealed that there are 92,000 affected cars in the US. These are the 2016 and 2017 Prius models manufactured from Aug. 2015 to Oct. 2016. They were all assembled at Toyota's Tsutsumi plant in Japan.
According to Digital Trends, 212,000 Prius cars in Japan and 17,000 in Europe also have to be recalled.
Toyota has admitted that the defective parking brake will compromise the driver's safety. Such flaws will increase the risk of the car to roll away. Thus, this might lead to a potentially fatal car crash.
All owners of the said vehicles will receive notification from Toyota. It will be sending out first class mail starting in November. Further information about the recall can be accessed to Toyota's website.
Toyota car owners can also check their vehicle's status. They only need their Vehicle Identification Number.
How Will Toyota Fix The Parking Brake Defect?
The famous automaker will fix the said defect for free. Their dealers will install clips on the top of the parking brake cable dust boots. The new addition will prevent the cable to become inoperative.
According to The New York Times, Toyota has already acknowledged receiving reports of crashes, injuries, and deaths. Though it has not provided more details about the said reports.
Toyota's Partnership Talks With Suzuki
Despite this news, Toyota has previously announced that it is in talks with Suzuki. The possible partnership will be especially beneficial to Suzuki.
Digital Trends reports that it will gain access to Toyota's massive research, development and production capabilities. On the other hand, Toyota will learn from Suzuki in building smaller and less expensive cars.
