The recall requires the inspection of the brake booster pump to see if it is equipped with a defective or potentially bad accumulator.
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A has been given permission from its Japanese parent to recall 87,000 model year 2010 Toyota Prius and Lexus HS 250h vehicles because of defective brakes. The U.S. arm of the world’s largest automaker is powerless to order a recall on its own.
The involved Prius and IS 250h models are equipped with a brake pressure accumulator that may develop a fatigue crack on an internal part due to vibration. Toyota said it had no reports of any accidents or injuries associated with this condition. Toyota, of course, was fined millions of dollars by NHTSA for previously covering up safety defects that were causing unintended acceleration.
In a brief statement Toyota said it notify owners by first class mail. The recall fix requires the inspection of the brake booster-pump assembly to see if it is equipped with a defective or potentially bad accumulator. If so, the dealer will replace the brake booster pump with an “improved one” at no cost to the customer as is required by NHTSA safety regulations.
Some information is available to customers at www.toyota.com/recall, the Toyota Customer Experience at 1-800-331-4331, www.lexus.com/recall and Lexus Customer Satisfaction at 1-800-255-3987.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
