Toyota Expanding Safety Exam Into Lexus HS 250h and Sai Hybrid

Toyota is checking the braking system in the HS 250h and Sai Hybrid. Both models use the same system as the Prius, which Toyota has already acknowledged has an issue in the software for its braking system.

The 2010 Toyota Prius has reportedly had issues when braking on bumpy or icy roads. There may be a slight delay (less than one second) as the system switches from regenerative braking to friction braking. The small delay can have serious issues when traveling at high speeds (worst case seems to be an extra 90 feet to stop at 60 mph according to a lot of the media reports).

Japan has ordered Toyota to look into this, while the NHTSA has opened up their own investigation.

The Prius and HS 250h and Sai are not involved in the recall for the braking mechanism, although Prius owners were advised to remove their floor mats to keep the accelerator from getting stuck.

Toyota has said that new vehicles being manufactured now have a fix in place, while they are planning on how to handle the cars already on the road.