Japanese automaker Toyota (TM) is known for making some of the most innovative and the highest quality cars out on the road, but a new, massive recall involving one of its most popular vehicles can put passengers in danger in the same fashion as recent Boeing's (BA) commercial aircraft failures.
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Toyota
On April 17, Toyota issued a recall affecting 211,000 of the brand's popular Prius and Prius Prime vehicles for 2023 and 2024 model years in Japan, North America, Europe and Asia, including 55,000 units in the United States.
According to the automaker, the involved vehicles are equipped with electronic rear door latches. It found an issue where water can enter the modules and short circuit the latches — which can result in the rear doors opening while the car is in motion.
"If the doors are not locked, they could open while the vehicle is moving or in a crash, increasing the risk of injury to occupants," Toyota said in a statement.
The Toyota Prius and Prius Prime are known for their capabilities as hybrids and plug-in hybrids, respectively. Boasting an EPA estimated 57 miles per gallon in the Prius hybrid, as well as up to 44 miles of all-electric range in the Prius Prime plug-in, the vehicles present themselves as popular choices for drivers of ride share services like Uber and Lyft.
In a 2015 feature, an Uber spokesperson told The Tab that “around 40% of cars on the platform are a Prius,” and that "partners choose the Prius for a number of reasons, primarily its because they are more environmentally friendly and are very efficient.”
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Toyota says that its dealers will replace the left and right door opener switches on affected vehicles with improved replacement ones, free of charge.
In the meantime, the automaker advises Prius and Prius Prime owners to enable the automatic door locking feature, which locks the doors when shifted into gear. Toyota says that even short-circuited door latches shouldn't unlatch if the rear doors are properly locked.
Customers affected by the recall will receive correspondence via mail by early June 2024.
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