Toyota Motor Corporation is pulling out the Prius from the market after a potentially dangerous problem connected to the parking brake was discovered.
Toyota has decided to recall all 2016 and 2017 models of the Prius made from August 2015 to October 2016. Unfortunately for the Japanese car maker, a total of 340,000 units of the car company's flagship hybrid are involved in this move. This number includes an estimated 92,000 from the United States while 17,000 in Europe and 212,000 in Japan were also recalled.
Toyota came to the decision after receiving reports of crashes resulting from the parking brake malfunctioning. According to such reports, people were injured and some were even killed because of the failing brakes.
After conducting their own thorough investigation into the claims, Toyota did not encounter any crashes that resulted in injury and death. They did, however, finally pinpoint the cause of the failing parking brakes. They discovered that the brake cable sometimes disengaged without warning. When this happens, the brakes become ineffective allowing the car to roll down.
Because of the results of their investigation, Toyota came upon a "diligent but not exhaustive review" and decided that calling back the cars involved was for everyone's best interest. The controversy comes amidst the heels of the unfortunate death of Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin who was pinned to death by his 2015 Grand Cherokee which rolled down his driveway.
This isn't the first time that Toyota was involved in controversy. Back in 2009, millions of Toyota brands were recalled for various reasons. Floor mat problem and break override were the reason cited for the total of 4.2 million vehicles recalled on Nov 2. In January 2010, another 2.3 million were recalled due to faulty accelerator pedals while another 1.1 million followed. According to Bloomberg, 6 million cars were recalled due to a variety of defects.
