Toyota sends letter to all Prius owners

Toyota New Zealand says it is working to regain customer confidence, following the recall of its latest Prius hybrid.

Letters have been sent out to the 260 owners of the third generation Prius in New Zealand, asking them to bring their car to a dealer so new braking software can be installed. The model is being recalled globally, after complaints from customers in the USA and Japan about its braking performance.

Toyota New Zealand spokesman, Paul Carroll, says it would be naive to think the recall has not damaged Toyota's reputation.

"The issue of media, in terms of what's happening in the American market, is bound to have some affect. So we've just got to work really hard with our dealer network and try and regain confidence of our Toyota owners."

Mr Carroll says the issue with the braking software is not serious, but can be disconcerting for owners.

He says that is why Toyota decided that rather than leave it, they would like to give people the best driving experience and install the updated software free of charge. He says the installation of the software will take less than an hour to program and can be done while customers wait.

- NEWSTALK ZB