Toyota to launch second, multi-million vehicle recall

toyota-auris-hybrid-2014-daniel-boennighausen

Toyota will have to recall 2.4 million hybrid vehicles worldwide. The reason for this was named as software issues. Only one month ago, the Japanese automobile manufacturers also had to launch a recall of more than 1 million hybrids because of potential short-circuit and fire danger.

The newest recall will affect the Toyota Prius and Auris models, which were manufactured between October 2008 and November 2014. In Europe, this will affect 290,000 vehicles, while in the US 830,000 vehicles are affected. In the Japanese market, a total of 1.25 million vehicles will have to be re-calibrated.

Currently, the vehicle manufacturer cannot guarantee that the software malfunction in the control system would not lead to an accident, meaning that driving the affected vehicles may be a serious danger for the driver and those around them.

The newest faux-pas certainly will affect the credibility of the Japanese automobile manufacturers. The news following so shortly after the last recall in early September, which had affected more than 1 million hybrid vehicles – specifically the Prius manufactured between July 2015 and May 2018, as well as the Prius Plug-in Hybrid and the C-HR between May 2016 and May 2018 – will likely affect their standing as a trustworthy brand. On the other hand, the fact that they are so direct regarding the communication of problems is a good sign – nothing worse than an automobile manufacturer who keeps safety problems secret for the sake of good PR.

bbc.com, rte.ie