TimesOnLine

Toyota’s imminent global recall of the Prius over problems with the brakes could be expanded to cover a flagship model from the high-end Lexus range, say sources.

Toyota is believed to be on the brink of a worldwide recall of its latest model of Prius that could affect as many as 300,000 vehicles.

But sources close to the company told The Times that Toyota was also gearing up to warn owners of the Lexus HS250h and Sai hybrid sedan that their cars may require similar repairs.

The Lexus HS250h has been on sale worldwide since last July, selling over 15,500 units both domestically in Japan and overseas. The Sai has sold 3,800 units in Japan only.

Reports in the Japanese business press on Monday said that Toyota was expected to issue a recall for the Lexus and the Sai once it had prepared the necessary fix for the cars’ braking control software.

Toyota said that nothing had been decided and that the company was still investigating whether the Lexus was affected by the same issues that have prompted complaints from some Prius owners over a brief “empty” sensation when they depress the brake pedal.

A recall of the HS250h would drag Toyota’s much-cherished luxury brand into the quality crisis that has engulfed the company.

Toyota admitted late last week that it had begun an investigation into whether both the Sai and the Lexus HS250h shared the same braking problems that have been reported on the Prius 2010 model.

All the hybrid vehicles affected by the expected recalls were built at Toyota’s factories in Japan – deepening the woes for Toyota and efforts to defend its reputation for reliability.

As of 5pm in Japan, the crisis-hit Japanese automaker had still not officially registered the Prius recall with the Japanese Government, but is expected to do so within the next 24 hours.

A similar move is afoot in the United States, where the recall of 100,000 Priuses is expected later this week. Around 30,000 other Priuses are expected to be recalled in about 60 countries around the world.

Dealerships have been told that the Japanese leg of the Prius recall will probably be announced formally on Wednesday, giving owners a chance to take their cars for repairs on the national holiday which falls on Thursday.

Two dealerships in Japan contacted by The Times said that they had received a barrage of “very irritated” calls from Prius owners demanding to know when the recall would be officially confirmed.

The dealers are unable to help customers until Toyota has registered the details with the transport ministry.

Sources within Toyota said that, internally, managers are not convinced that a Prius recall is technically necessary, insisting on describing the problem that can cause the brakes to temporarily fail as a “phenomenon”.

The same sources hinted that the Prius recall had effectively become a political necessity for a company under heavy fire for its handling of problems that have caused accelerator pedals to stick.

The company’s president, Akio Toyoda, provided a belated – and to some eyes insincere - apology to customers on Friday night, and an insistence that Toyota cars were safe.