Toyota Tells U.S. Dealers to Expect Prius Plan Update this Week
Toyota Motor Corp., grappling with record U.S. recalls, told U.S. dealers to expect an update early this week on steps the company plans to take to address complaints over brakes on the 2010 model Prius hybrid, Bloomberg reported.
“We notified dealers in a short letter yesterday that we believe we’ll have more specific information on our plans for Prius next week,” John Hanson, a spokesman for Toyota’s U.S. sales unit, said on Feb. 6. “We know dealers have customers coming to them who are concerned and we’re trying to give them as much information as we can, as fast as we can.”
Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, didn’t tell dealers it will make a formal “announcement” on a Prius fix and hasn’t yet determined whether a recall is necessary, he said. The carmaker plans to recall at least 311,000 Prius cars early this week, the New York Times reported, citing a person familiar with the matter. Ririko Takeuchi, a spokeswoman for Toyota in Tokyo, couldn’t immediately be reached for comment on the report.
A recall of the latest version of the Prius, the world’s best-selling hybrid car, may further tarnish the reputation of the Toyota City, Japan-based company. The automaker has already recalled 5.6 million cars and light trucks in the U.S. since November to correct flaws linked to unintended acceleration, an issue Toyota says isn’t connected to Prius brakes.
Toyota rose 0.5 percent to 3,330 yen as of 10:46 a.m. in Tokyo trading today. The stock has fallen 20 percent since Jan. 21, when the carmaker began recalling vehicles to fix gas pedals linked to unintended acceleration.
More Industry

Auto Prices Ride May Moderation
Flat ATPs and asking prices clocked in below long-term averages for the month, though some segments saw significant price gains, reported Cox Automotive.
Read More →
Auto Retail Families Get Out While the Getting’s Good
Kerrigan Advisors’ first-quarter Blue Sky Report shows a sharp uptick in buy-sell deals as more retailers take advantage of handsome values while seeking to escape market risk.
Read More →
Holman Opens New Lexus Dealership
Located in the heart of Clark County, Lexus of Vancouver features a multi-level showroom, more than 30 service bays, an indoor drive for drop-off and pick-up and a fleet of courtesy vehicles.
Read More →
Ownership Priorities are Shifting
A new survey shows that in the U.S. vehicle quality for generation Z is largely defined by advanced safety features, intuitive technology and premium sound systems.
Read More →
Pump Price Jump Calculated
ISeeCars.com examined fuel costs for different power trains, finding which ones have experienced the biggest hits since the war in Iran commenced.
Read More →
Black Book: Weekly Market Update
Wholesale values fell last week despite the spring season still being in the traditional full-gear mode, analysts said.
Read More →
Arkansas Auto Group Acquires First Indiana Rooftop
Performance Brokerage Services represented both the buyer and seller in the sale of Carver Toyota of Columbus by Carlock Automotive Group.
Read More →
Stellantis to Dive Into U.S. Lending
The multinational maker of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and multiple other brands received conditional approvals for a Utah-based industrial bank.
Read More →
New-Vehicle Prices Rise
With April sales down, higher prices on in-demand large vehicles helped inflate the overall ATP, though increases were under long-term averages, Cox Automotive reported.
Read More →
Black Book: Weekly Market Update
Last week in the wholesale automotive market proved to be a mixed bag, analysts reported.
Read More →