Toyota Admits Changing Prius Brake Software
The bad news continues to roll in for Toyota: The automaker now concedes that it made changes to the braking software for its third-generation Prius, which went on sale in this country in May 2009, after receiving complaints of braking problems. The automaker also said it’s looking at the braking systems on other hybrids it builds and sells.
The company hasn’t decided if it needs to seek a recall for the Prius either in Japan or the U.S.
There have been more than 100 complaints in the U.S. about a momentary lapse in stopping power, apparently when the car shifts from the regenerative braking system to the hydraulic system; some drivers have reported feeling a problem when the antilock braking system kicks in.
“The complaints received via our dealers center around when drivers are on a bumpy road or frozen surface,” Paul Nolasco, a Toyota spokesman in Japan, told CNN. “The driver steps on the brake, and they do not get as full of a braking feel as expected.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said this morning that’s it’s launching a formal probe into the problem.
Toyota says they found a fix for the problem for any Priuses built beginning late last month. The company has confirmed that they sold some 95,000 2010 Toyota Prius hybrids from last May through the end of 2009.
