Toyota has warned owners of Prius petrol-electric cars built before January that the vehicles could stall while driving, in a potential blow to the image of the most popular fuel-efficient hybrid.
As reported in Motors several months ago, the problem is caused by a glitch in the electronics.
Toyota is quick to point out, however, that the problem has caused no accidents and has been fixed. A spokesman for the Irish importer said: "Toyota customers will be requested to bring their Prius to their dealer to allow the Prius ECM system to be reprogrammed - this will take less than two hours at no cost to the vehicle owner.
"The campaign applies to right hand drive Prius produced before and in November 2004 and left hand drive Prius produced in and before February 2005. The total number of Prius involved in the service campaign in Ireland is 296, but we have had no reports of stalling in Ireland due to either of these factors.
"Toyota has fully supported the NHTSA in its recent investigation and has initiated a worldwide service campaign to deal with the issue," according to the spokesman. "The incidence of engine stalling due to programming in the engine ECU/HVECU is minimal and not classed as a safety issue. Also on some vehicles dielectric grease will be applied to a connector for the transaxle to prevent water intrusion that may also cause a similar condition."
On a worldwide basis, Toyota has asked owners of the 161,922 cars built between August 2003, when the new version of the car was launched, and January this year to take their vehicles to dealers for a repair after a five-month investigation by US regulators and the company.
Toyota said the problem, caused by a glitch in the electronics, had caused no accidents and had been fixed. The voluntary recall applies to 75,000 US cars, 70,000 in Japan and the rest in Europe and other markets. However, the move could damp some of the enthusiasm for the Prius, which has had the fastest US sales growth this year of any model other than new launches.
Hybrids have gained popularity as rising fuel prices prompt customers to look for more efficient vehicles.
Toyota is now pursuing an aggressive strategy to equip as many of its vehicles as possible with hybrid systems, which boost the efficiency of a petrol engine by adding a battery and electric motor able to power the car at low speeds.
Additional reporting: James Mackintosh, London