Toyota has told Japan's government it will recall Prius hybrid vehicles worldwide, a transport ministry official says.
"We have heard that Toyota will take the same measures throughout the world," a transport ministry official said on Tuesday after Toyota pulled the Prius and two other hybrids from the Japanese market over brake defects.
Toyota officials went to Japan's Transport Ministry to formally notify officials the company is recalling the 2010 Prius petrol-electric hybrid - the world's top-selling hybrid car - and two other hybrid models.
In total, the recall numbers over 223,000 hybrid cars.
Toyota will recall nearly 200,000 Prius cars sold in Japan from April last year through to Monday, according to papers the automaker filed with the ministry.
A fix requires new software that oversees the controls of the antilock brakes and will resolve a delay in the braking, the papers say.
Toyota had earlier said a fix was already in cars in production starting late last month, but the recall includes those cars as well.
The two other hybrids being recalled are the Lexus HS250h sedan, sold in the US and Japan, and the Sai, which is sold only in Japan.
The new software for those models is still being worked out, Toyota said.
Toyota's plug-in hybrid is also being recalled in Japan - a largely experimental model for rental and government use, with 159 sold.
US safety officials have launched an investigation into problems with the brakes.
The Prius was Japan's best selling car in 2009 and the world's most popular hybrid model.
There have been complaints in Japan and the US that the brakes momentarily fail when driving on rough roads.
Share
