More than 100 Toyota Prius drivers in the US and Japan have reported problems with the brakes on the latest version of the best-selling hybrid. Three drivers claim that the brake problems resulted in crashes that caused injuries.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received about 100 reports while 14 have been received in Japan. But Toyota Motor Europe said that it has not had any complaints.
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A Toyota spokesman in Japan said that the complaints concerned driving in bumpy or icy conditions leading to an “unusual feel” to the brakes and a loss of braking ability.
The Prius is not part of Toyota’s current global recall of 8m vehicles to fix problems relating to sticking throttle pedals but it has been part of a previous US recall after drivers reported accelerator pedals getting stuck under the floor mats.
Toyota is facing growing criticism that it has not done enough to make sure its vehicles are safe. US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told Associated Press that federal officials had had to alert Toyota to the seriousness of the safety issues that eventually led to the recalls.
He said: “They should have taken it seriously from the very beginning when we first started discussing it with them. Maybe they were a little safety deaf.”
He reiterated the point at a breakfast meeting in Washington on Wednesday morning.
