Prius V recall hits local consumers

The global recall for Toyota's hybrid seven-seater, the Prius V, has now reached Australia.

Toyota Australia has announced its own recall for the Prius V sold in Australia and built between November 17, 2011 and November 10, 2014. As we had previously reported, defective software for the car's motor/generator unit's ECU (Electronic Control Unit) and for the hybrid control ECU could give rise to higher heat in some transistors and damaging them. In that event, the car's hybrid-drive system could shut down unexpectedly. This could pose a risk of collision in traffic.

According to Toyota Australia: "various warning lights will illuminate and the vehicle may enter a failsafe mode. In rare circumstances, the hybrid system might shut down while the vehicle is being driven, resulting in the loss of power and the vehicle coming to a stop."

There has been no report of a crash in Australia as a consequence of the software fault.

Toyota will contact owners by mail, requesting they report with their car to the closest Toyota dealership for rectification. Uploading new software is expected to take about an hour, at no cost to the customer.

VINs for the vehicles affected are: JTD ZS3EU # 03007345 – 03103234 and JTD ZS3EU # 0J000106 - 0J001619. Fewer than 3000 cars affected have been sold in Australia, Toyota reports.

Further information is available via Toyota's help line, 1800 987 366 1800 987 366.