Toyota NZ confirms brake issue

Toyota New Zealand has confirmed that it will temporarily halt the sale of a selection of its hybrid vehicles, following an issue found with the regenerative braking systems fitted to each model. 

The vehicles involved are the hybrid Corolla, pictured above, RAV4 and Prius models, as well as the ES sedan and UX crossover from Lexus. The Prius C and Prius Prime are among the models that aren't included in the announcement. 

In a statement, Toyota said: “Toyota New Zealand takes the safety of its customers very seriously, and as a precautionary measure has ordered a sales stop on some hybrid models that are fitted with a braking component that requires additional inspection.

"We are working at this stage to identify vehicles that are involved and contacting customers directly if they have already taken delivery of a vehicle that falls within the manufacturing timeframe, and will advise when we have more information regarding this matter.”

There are over 400 vehicles involved, however, only 88 of these have been sold and are at the dealerships awaiting delivery to customers. The rest have been identified and are on a shipment to New Zealand or being held at a Toyota NZ facility.