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Federal safety officials say they will look
into complaints from Toyota Corolla drivers about difficulty with
the steering on their vehicles.


      The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received
about 80 complaints from drivers of 2009 and 2010 Corollas. Many
say their cars can wander when they drive on the highway, making it
hard to stay in lanes.


      NHTSA says it will determine if a formal safety investigation is
warranted. But agency officials also stress that it is standard
procedure to review the tens of thousands of driver complaints they
get every year on a wide range of vehicles.


      Toyota's safety issues are under intense scrutiny due to recalls
over gas pedal problems. 

However, House investigators say there's growing
evidence that not all the causes of Toyota's acceleration problems
have been identified.

      A Democratic staff memo from the House Oversight and Government
Reform Committee says neither Toyota nor federal safety officials
have identified all causes of unintended acceleration.


      The memo says there's substantial evidence that remedies such as
redesigned floor mats have failed to solve the problem.


      The document was prepared for a hearing originally was scheduled
for Wednesday, but has been postponed until Feb. 24 because of an
expected snowstorm. The hearing will examine whether Toyota and the
National Highway Transportation Administration have failed to meet
their responsibilities to ensure the safety of the vehicles.
      

Earlier on Tuesday, Toyota said it is recalling about 437,000 Prius and
other hybrid vehicles worldwide to fix brake problems - the latest
in a string of embarrassing safety lapses at the world's largest
automaker.

      "I don't see Toyota as an infallible company that never makes
mistakes," President Akio Toyoda said at a press conference
Tuesday in Tokyo. "We will face up to the facts and correct the
problem, putting customers' safety and convenience first."

      With the Prius announcement, the number of vehicles recalled
globally by Toyota Motor Corp. has ballooned to 8.5 million,
including for floor mats which can trap gas pedals and faulty gas
pedals that are slow to return to the idle position. The 2010 Prius
wasn't part of the earlier recalls.

      There have been about 200 complaints in Japan and the U.S. about
a delay when the brakes in the Prius were pressed in cold
conditions and on some bumpy roads. The delay doesn't indicate a
brake failure. The company says the problem can be fixed in 40
minutes with new software that oversees the controls of the
antilock brakes.


      "Let me assure everyone that we will redouble our commitment to
quality as the lifeline of our company," Toyoda said.


      Toyota officials went to Japan's Transport Ministry earlier
Tuesday to formally notify officials the company is recalling the
2010 Prius gas-electric hybrid - the world's top-selling hybrid
car. The automaker is also recalling two other hybrid models in
Japan, the Lexus HS250h sedan, sold in the U.S. and Japan, and the
Sai, which is sold only in Japan.

      The 223,000 cars being recalled in Japan include nearly 200,000
Priuses sold from April last year through Monday, according to
papers the automaker filed with the ministry. The Prius is Japan's top-selling car.

      In the U.S., Toyota will recall 133,000 Prius cars and 14,500
Lexus HS250h vehicles. Nearly 53,000 Priuses are also being
recalled in Europe. Toyota is suspending production of the Sai and
Lexus HS250h in Japan until the updated software for those models
is ready.

      If drivers experience a delayed reaction when depressing the
brakes in any of these models, they should keep pressing, according
to Toyota and the transport ministry.

      The Prius repairs will start in Japan on Wednesday. U.S. owners
will start receiving letters about the recall next week.

      Toyoda, the president, has been criticized for being largely
invisible during the two weeks after the company announced Jan. 21
the gas pedal recall in the U.S., Europe and China.

      He apologized at his first public press conference last Friday,
but was criticized by the Japanese media for failing to outline
concrete steps to tackle the safety crisis and reassure customers
around the world.

      In contrast to his halting English in response to questions from
foreign reporters at last week's news conference, Toyoda seemed
much better prepared Tuesday, reading from an English statement
after doing so in Japanese.

      "We will do everything in our power to regain the confidence of
our customers," Toyoda said.

      He said he planned to go to the U.S. soon to talk with American
workers and dealers to bring the ranks together.

      Analysts said fears of an even bigger consumer backlash prodded
Toyota into recalling the Prius.

      "If they hadn't done the recalls, their image would have
suffered even more," said Ryoichi Saito, auto analyst at Mizuho
Investors Securities in Tokyo.


      The Japanese transport ministry rapped Toyota as reacting too
slowly, and said he was meeting U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos
Wednesday to exchange views about Toyota's recalls and make sure
U.S.-Japan relations remained on good terms.

      "The consideration for customers was lacking in Toyota," Seiji
Maehara told reporters, after a meeting with Toyoda. "We hope this
never happens again."

      Toyoda, who visited the minister after his news conference,
apologized and explained the recalls, Maehara said.

      U.S. safety officials have launched an investigation into
problems with the brakes.


      The problem is suspected in four crashes resulting in two minor
injuries, according to data gathered by the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, which is investigating the matter.
Toyota says it's cooperating with NHTSA's investigation.

      Problems with hybrid braking systems haven't been limited to
Toyota.

      Ford Motor Co. said last week it plans to fix 17,600 Mercury
Milan and Ford Fusion gas-electric hybrids because of a software
problem that can give drivers the impression that the brakes have
failed. The automaker says the problem occurs in transition between
two braking systems and at no time are drivers without brakes.


      Toyota's plug-in hybrid is also being recalled in Japan, Europe
and the U.S., but in small numbers because it is a largely
experimental model for rental and government use.


      The Prius holds a cherished spot in Toyota's vehicle lineup and
is symbolic of its leadership in the "green" car market.

      The Toyota executive overseeing quality Shinichi Sasaki said the
delay that Prius drivers can feel when braking lasts for a fraction
of a second as the antilock brakes kick in.

      The problem happens only on snowy or bumpy surfaces, and the
complaints did not become more numerous until recently when the
weather got colder, Sasaki said.

      But Toyoda acknowledged the company could have done better in
picking up on the complaints, managing the crisis and sending a
message to car owners on a fix.

      In the U.S., Toyota will add five more centers in addition to
the current three that investigate customer complaints, Sasaki
said.


      "When compared to the size of Japan, America is so much bigger
and so our network for gathering information was not enough," he
said.

      Toyota was one of the first companies to mass-market a hybrid
that combines an electric motor with a gas engine, introducing the
Prius in Japan in 1997. Its high gas mileage made it popular among
environmentally conscious drivers, especially when gas prices
spiked two years ago.


      But the complexity of the Prius, a highly computerized car, has
led to problems in the past. In 2005, the company repaired 75,000
of them to fix software glitches that caused the engine to stall.

It has also had trouble with headlights going out.
      Shares in Toyota rose 2.9 percent Tuesday to 3,375 yen, but are
still down about 20 percent since Jan. 21, when it announced the
gas pedal recall.

      Associated Press Writers Mari Yamaguchi, Shino Yuasa and Malcolm
Foster in Tokyo, Aoife White in Brussels, Tom Krisher and Dee-Ann
Durbin in Detroit and Ken Thomas in Washington contributed to this
report.
      

Gallery

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Report: Toyota to recall Prius hybrid in US, Japan

Toyota says Prius had brake design problems

After LaHood comment, Toyota dealers concerned

Business and Economic News

Federal safety officials say they will look
into complaints from Toyota Corolla drivers about difficulty with
the steering on their vehicles.


Toyota troubles continue as officials review Corolla complaints

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