Over A Million Toyota Hybrids Recalled Over Potential Fire Risk

For owners of Toyota’s hybrid vehicles such as the Prius or C-HR compact crossover SUV, you might want to get in touch with your local Toyota dealer because the company has recently announced that they will be recalling over a million hybrids due to a potential fire risk. For those in the US, this will affect about 192,000 units.

It also affects customers in other parts of the world where the vehicles are sold, such as in Japan where 554,000 units are affected, making it half of the 1.03 million or so vehicles that will be recalled in total. Speaking to CBS MoneyWatch, a US-based spokesperson said that the incident was originally reported in February 2018.

The problem, it seems, stems from a wire harness that connects to the vehicle’s hybrid power control unit, where dust accumulation could result in the insulation eroding. The exposed wires and also the vibration from the cars could also then cause a short circuit that could produce heat and fire. So far there has been one reported case of a wire short-circuiting and producing smoke, but there have not been any injuries to date.

Toyota notes that those who are affected will be alerted via first-class mail later this month, with repairs being made free of charge.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Transportation
Tags: toyota