Toyota Australia recalls 2900 Prius V cars for stalling glitch: 625,000 affected globally

Forming part of a wider recall that affects around 625,000 Prius V models globally, the issue centres around a software glitch that could cause the vehicle’s hybrid system to fail.

In a statement today, Toyota Australia said that software settings in the motor/generator control ECU and hybrid control ECU “could result in higher thermal stress in some transistors, potentially causing them to become damaged”.

Toyota says that, in most cases, an event of this nature would result in warning lights illuminating and potentially a switch to a failsafe mode to avert further damage.

The company notes however that “in rare circumstances”, the hybrid system could shut down while the vehicle is being driven, resulting in a loss of power that would bring the vehicle to a stop.

A nearly identical recall notice was issued for the regular Prius hatch in February last year, affecting 5500 models locally.

In both cases, Toyota says it has had no reports of accidents or injuries associated with the recall issue.

Toyota Australia has also confirmed with CarAdvice that the smaller Prius C hatch is not affected.

A software update, to be carried out at a Toyota dealer, is promised to resolve the issue. Customers can contact the Toyota recall campaign helpline on 1800 987 366.