Toyota Recall 2012 List: Prius Hybrid, Corolla, Wish And Other Models Called Back For Steering Defect And Water Pump Problem

Toyota Motor Corp. is recalling about 2.77 million vehicles worldwide, including the Prius hybrid car, due to problems with the steering mechanism and the hybrid system water pump.

About 1.51 million vehicles are being recalled for the steering defect in Japan and 1.25 million vehicles abroad — including 670,000 in the U.S. Affected models include the Prius hybrid, Corolla, Wish and other models produced from 2000 to 2011 in Japan, and from 2000 to 2009 overseas.

Of those vehicles, some 620,000 spanning five hybrid models, including the Prius, have a defective water pump in addition to the steering shaft defect. Those vehicles were produced from 2001 to 2010 in Japan, and from 2003 to 2011 overseas. Another 10,000 vehicles with only a pump problem are also being recalled.

As of Wednesday, no accidents have been reported related to these two problems, according to Toyota.

The Toyota recall comes just one month after the Japanese automotive giant recalled more than 7.4 million vehicles worldwide for faulty power window switches that are a potential fire hazard. The announcement was the single biggest recall since Ford pulled 8 million vehicles off the road in 1996.

Last month, Toyota executives had shrugged off that recall, citing products made before stricter quality controls kicked in at its production plants.

Toyota is on the brink of record vehicle sales around the world, offsetting a sales plunge in China with booming demand in emerging markets such as Indonesia, India and Thailand.