AMMAN –– Toyota’s dealer in Jordan said on Wednesday that around 100 Prius hybrid cars sold through the agency are affected by a fault that could cause the vehicle to suddenly slow down.
Toyota Motors on Wednesday announced plans to conduct voluntary safety recalls of approximately 1.9 million model year 2010-2014 Prius vehicles worldwide.
The company, a global leader in the production of environment-friendly cars, said in a statement on its website that it would update the motor engine control unit (ECU) and hybrid control ECU software on 2010-2014 Prius vehicles.
Nadim Haddad, the marketing and sales manager at the Central Trade and Auto Company (CTA), Toyota`s agent in the Kingdom, said the problem is in the software used to control the power converter.
Haddad told The Jordan Times that only specific cars in Jordan with certain vehicle identification numbers are affected by the fault, estimating the number of such vehicles sold through CTA at around 100.
However, he said, there might be a number of vehicles affected by the fault that were sold by individual importers and traders.
“We have a list of the cars sold and the contact details of the clients,” Haddad said, adding that the owners will be contacted when software updates are available at the agency.
The software updates might be available by early next week, he said, noting that owners of vehicles –– both CTA customers and those who bought the cars via individuals –– will receive a software update free of charge.
CTA will make an announcement once the software is available to urge owners to visit the agency to have the software installed, Haddad added.
The Japanese motor giant said no accidents have been reported as a result of the defect.
According to Agence France-Presse, the recall covers about 997,000 vehicles in Japan and 713,000 vehicles in North America. Most of the remainder are in Europe, the Middle East and China.
The company recalled Prius models last year and in 2010 for different problems, but Wednesday’s announcement marked the largest call-back for a car that Toyota has bet will lead a greater move to green cars, AFP said.
Launched in 1997, the Toyota Prius is the world’s first mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid car.
Official figures estimate the number of hybrid cars in Jordan at around 30,000, the majority of which are Prius, as the car is gaining popularity among Jordanian motorists due to its fuel efficiency.
