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Toyota Motors announced today that more than 2.8 million vehicles, including the popular Prius hybrid, are being recalled globally due to two different problems with the vehicles' water pumps and crankshaft assemblies.
According to Toyota, certain 2004 to 2009 model year Toyota Prius vehicles may have steering extension shafts that were "improperly hardened" during manufacturing. Over time, if the shafts "wear out," it may become impossible to steer the hybrid cars.
About 667,000 Toyota Prius Hybrids are affected with the steering concerns. And of those recalled Prius vehicles, another 350,000 may have defective electric water pumps that unexpectedly stop working.
Because the defective parts are used in many Toyota vehicles. NBC News reports that as many as 2.8 million vehicles—including the popular Corolla and other hybrid models such as the Camry Hybrid—worldwide may be recalled.
There have been no crashes or injuries reported from these issues. Owners of the recalled vehicles will be notified in December to take their Prius to a dealership to replace the electric water pump for the hybrid system.
For more information go to www.toyota.com/recall or call the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331.
In our latest reliability survey, the new Toyota Prius C topped our list of most reliable vehicle. For our annual survey of subscribers, recalls are not considered.
Sources:
Voluntary Safety Recalls of Certain 2004 to 2009 Model Year Prius Vehicles [Toyota]
Toyota recalls 2.8 million vehicles worldwide [NBCNews.com]
