Toyota is recalling a quarter of a million of its vehicles due to braking problems, company executives said on Wednesday.
The company, headquartered in Japan, said the recall affects 242,000 Prius and Lexus hybrids that were manufactured between March and October 2009, CNN reported. The recall follows communications from at least 90 drivers who complained about poor braking response, and said they had to push heavily on the brake pedal in order to slow or stop the car.
A company spokeswoman said the problem was due to a leak — that a flaw in the design or equipment was letting nitrogen leak into the brake fluid, diminishing the ability of the brakes to perform, CNN said.
The majority of the recalled vehicles — 117,000 — are in Japan, CNN reported. Another 91,000 are in North America, 30,000 in Europe and the remainder, scattered through various markets.
Nobody’s been injured or killed from the braking problem, the company said.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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