Prius drivers told 'brake harder and car will stop'

Toyota New Zealand says it will write to 260 New Zealand owners of its latest Prius hybrid car model to reassure them about the braking performance.

This advice comes in the same week as the company recalled 61 Avensis wagons as part of an international check for faulty accelerators.

Toyota New Zealand chief executive Alistair Davis said yesterday some owners in the United States and Japan reported a slight delay in the Prius' braking reaction on certain surfaces.

In some circumstances if the driver applied light pedal pressure, driving over a slippery patch and the ABS cut in, there was a slight delay in pedal feel. "Of course the driver will just brake harder and the car will stop, but the momentary delay could be disconcerting for some drivers," said Mr Davis.

Minor changes were made to Prius vehicles made from January this year and Toyota was considering whether changes should be made to vehicles already built. Mr Davis said the new model Prius was released here last year and the company had no feedback from owners about braking performance. Overseas, the company has sold 270,000 of the latest model Prius and is considering a recall.

Toyota New Zealand is contacting Avensis wagon owners to arrange for their vehicles to be checked and repaired if necessary because in Europe 26 owners had reported accelerator pedals sticking. The trouble was traced to a faulty component used by the British plant.

- additional reporting: AP