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Software glitch in Prius leads to recall by Toyota
DETROIT: Toyota Motor Corporation is notifying some 75,000 U.S. owners of its hybrid vehicle Prius about a possible software glitch that causes sudden stalling or shut down of the car.
The recall is perhaps the first for a hybrid car and involves more than half the total number of the gasoline-electric vehicles the car major manufactured in the last two years. The problem came to light when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration received more than 425 complaints from Prius owners about sudden engine stalls and shut downs and it decided to investigate.
The company said the problem is known to cause warning lights in the cars to come on, which will prompt the vehicles to enter a "fail safe" mode, meaning the gasoline engines would stop. A Toyota spokesperson said in the event of a stalling, the vehicle's electric motor will have enough power to enable the driver to steer the vehicle away from traffic.
There were two prior recalls of Prius vehicles, but these have been not on account of the engines of the vehicles. The hybrid uses a complicated electronics and computer programming system that makes the car's gas engine and the electric motor work together. The software problem is located in the electronic control module.
The car company said owners, when they get intimation, can take their cars to a dealership and have the problems fixed free of cost. A company spokesperson said most of the time, it is just a warning light coming on but admitted the gasoline portion of the engine "occasionally" cuts off.
Prius, introduced in the U.S. some five years ago, has been a popular car and its demand in the market has caused waiting periods in some areas. Toyota had sold 53,991 cars in 2004 and 81,042 in 2005 (till September end). The car's latest model has a price tag of $21,275.
Honda Motor Co. and Ford Motor Co. too have hybrids in the market.
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Written
by :
Waddah Yaman | Published on :
07:18:00
EST
Sat, 15 Oct 2005 |
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