DETROIT (Oct. 13, 2016) — Toyota Motor Corp. is recalling Prius hybrid models worldwide claiming “there is a possibility that the parking brake could become inoperative.”
The recall involves 92,000 2016-17 Prius hybrids in the U.S., 212,000 in Japan and 36,000 throughout the rest of the world, according to Toyota.
Reportedly, the problem only occurs if a driver attempts to exit the Prius without first putting the transmission in park. In that case — where the emergency brake alone is used to hold the vehicle — there is a chance that the parking brake cable will fail.
The repair is simple enough, the auto maker said, and will be free-of-cost to owners. Toyota plans on adding clips to the top of the brake cable dust boots, which will apparently help prevent the cable from failing. The company said it will let owners of affected vehicles know in December, but owners can always check their vehicles' VIN number against Toyota's recall database.
There are no official reports of accidents directly connected to the parking brake cable failure, but Toyota is looking into the matter.
Just to be sure, owners of the affected Prius models are being urged to double-check that they push the park button and power down the car before exiting.
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This report appeared on the website of Autoweek magazine, a Detroit-based sister publication of Tire Business.