Toyota Recalls 242,000 Hybrids That Won’t Brake

Toyota Motor Corp (NYSE:TM) announced Wednesday that it is recalling 233,000 Priuses and 9,000 Lexus hybrid models that were manufactured between March and October 2009, due to issues with the brakes.

In a statement, Toyota said that while it hadn't received any reports of accidents or injuries as a result of the defect, there was potential for the brake pressure accumulator to crack due to vibrations in the car. The recall is voluntary.

A spokesman for Toyota told CNN that the Japanese manufacturer had, in fact, received more than 90 complaints from drivers who said “they needed to step more heavily on the brake pedal than they were used to.” CNN also reported that the potential cracks in the accumulator allowed nitrogen to leak into the brake fluid, rendering them less effective than normal.

Wednesday’s announcement follows Toyota’s April recall of more than 1.7 million cars worldwide due to airbag and safety concerns, including some of its most popular Corolla, Matrix, and Tundra models.

CNN reported that the vast majority of the recalled cars are in Japan, 91,000 are in North America and 30,000 are in Europe, CBS said.

Representatives for Toyota couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

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