The Japanese company’s sales are being battered in the US -- Toyota’s biggest market -- after recalls of top-selling models to fix a gas pedal that can stick in the depressed position. The new Prius gas-electric hybrid, which went on sale in Japan and the US in May 2009, is not part of the recalls that extend to Europe and China, covering nearly 4.5 million vehicles. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received about 100 complaints involving the brakes of the Prius new model. Two involved crashes resulting in injuries.
Japan’s transport ministry said Wednesday it has also received 14 complaints since July last year about brake problems with Toyota’s new Prius hybrid. The 14 complaints included an accident in July 2009, in which a Prius crashed head on into another car at an intersection. Transport ministry official Masaya Ota said two people were slightly injured in the accident. ”The Prius driver in the accident told police that a brake did not work,” Ota said.
