As Toyota hear fresh reports of incidences of runaway Prius models, the carmaker is quick to remind the public of how many satisfied hybrid owners it has.
According to the troubled carmaker, February car sales for its Prius model doubled on its previous best performance for the month, back in February 2008.
A total of 538 Prius models sold in the UK last month, compared to 237 in February 2008-proof it would seem that car buyers are not deterred by reports of vehicle faults.
The sales data was released as it emerged yesterday that a motorist in California had to be stopped by a police patrol car as his Prius car accelerated out of control. According to the BBC, James Sikes was travelling down the San Diego freeway when the accelerator became stuck, compelling him to call the police, who helped him stop the car as it hurtled along at speeds up to 94mph.
Meanwhile the USA Today reported the case of a 56-year-old woman in New York yesterday, who was pulling out of a driveway when her 2005 Prius ‘shot’ across the road, slamming into a wall. Suffering only minor injuries, the driver has not been named as police investigate the cause of the crash.
In the US, 2004 to 2009 model Priuses are involved in a safety recall to fix a problem which could cause the accelerator pedal to become stuck under the floor mats.Toyota has also issued a global recall of the latest, third generation Prius model to fix a potential problem with the brakes. That recall affected 8,500 models of the popular hybrid model sold in the UK, along with around 436,000 hybrids worldwide.
Although models built since January 27, 2010 are not affected by this recall, leading customers to feel reassured about the safety and reliability of the model.
Customers across the globe have repeatedly ranked Prius highly in satisfaction and reliability surveys. The third generation Prius is short listed for ‘The World Car of the Year 2010’ and has been Japan’s top selling car for nine consecutive months (May 2009 through to January 2010). More than 1.6 million have been sold since the first generation was launched in 1997.
