Toyota recalls Prius again

TOYOTA has recalled 1652 Prius hybrids in Australia as part of a worldwide campaign affecting around 242,000 vehicles.

The latest Toyota recall involves the brake booster pump assembly. In short, the company says a fatigue crack could developed inside the actuator within the assembly.

Should this occur, nitrogen gas could potentially leak into the brake fluid, causing loss of pedal feel and compromising stopping power.

The national recall affects cars built between October 2008 and October 2009. Vehicles with VIN numbers ending somewhere between 01000031 and 01092008 , or 05000003 and 05076028, could fall into the list of affected vehicles.

All affected customers will be contacted by Toyota Australia, and requested to visit their dealer for a brake inspection.

The campaign, which also affects the Lexus HS250h (not sold in Australia), includes approximately 117,000 vehicles in Japan, 87,000 in the US and around 30,000 in Europe.

Last November, Toyota recalled around 630,000 Prius models (including 8119 in Australia) over a water pump fault. In the same month, it also recalled 2.7 million units (12,710 in Australia) over a possible steering defect.

The company has in recent times faced well-publicised mass recalls of several vehicle lines over possible faulty floor mats and sticky accelerator pedals, which led to a public apology from Toyota president Akio Toyoda.