The Trouble with Toyotas: Has the hybrid halo been tarnished?

By John LeBlanc So, let’s see, what’s on Toyota president Akio Toyoda’s agenda today? Oh. Only recalling its “halo” Prius, the best-selling car in Japan, that’s all. In an Automotive News report, Toyoda said he has test driven a 2010 Prius and confirmed that there can be a “momentary sensation of the brakes losing power when the car rides over bumpy or slippery surfaces” because of a “time lag” in switching into antilock braking mode from the regenerative braking mode that can also cause increased stopping distance. “I myself have confirmed the situation,” Toyoda said. “From the driver's point of view, you might have the sensation that the brakes are not working.” Shouldn’t be a worry, right? I’m sure you don’t drive on any “bumpy or slippery surfaces.” For those keeping score at home, that’s Toyota: 8.1 million recalled cars on five continents (more vehicles than Toyota sold globally in all of 2009), consumer confidence: er, we'll get back to you on that... Just as Tiger once woke up every morning and asked, Can it get any worse? For Toyota, maybe. TheDetroitBureau.com says reports of braking issues have been "pouring in since 2005 or even earlier." If so, Toyota may have to add another million-or-so second-generation 2004 to 2009 Prius hybrids, above, to its recall total. If that happens, it doesn’t really change my opinion of the last Prius, a car I’ve called the worst car of the last decade. Oh yeah. And its regen brakes always felt a little “funny”… So over to you: Does this latest dent in the Prius’s (and by association, every other hybrid out there) armour, give you pause in buying a new hybrid? Has the hybrid halo been tarnished by this latest Toyota stumble? (Sources: TheDetroitBureau.com, Automotive News)

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