Toyota Prius News

It’s impossible not to eavesdrop on the other parents’ conversations when I pick up my kindergartener from school. It’s a wholly unscientific but usually accurate way to find out what’s top-of-mind with people here in the Midwest — unemployment, strep throat, American Idol, and the auto...

More Cars Get Added To the Toyota Recall List

Everything you need to know about the recalls affecting the 2010 Toyota Prius, and the 2004-2009 Prius too

As expected, Toyota has announced a recall for its 2010 Toyota Prius and 2010 Lexus HS 250h models to update the anti-lock braking system (ABS) software. The new software improves the response time of the anti-lock system and alters its sensitivity to tire slippage. The update is intended to reduce...

Toyota has been criticized in media reports for their slow response to claims of accelerator pedal troubles that forced the company to recall millions of vehicles, but their response to the potential braking issues with the Toyota Prius can be considered immediate.  Toyota has already contacted...

st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } The Toyota recalls have made headline stories for at least a week now.  The company is working feverishly to fix the problems and rebuild a possibly tarnished image.  Just when things could not possibly get any worst for Toyota, they just did. According to the New...

Before either car launched, the 2010 Toyota Prius and 2010 Honda Insight were viewed as natural rivals. Would the third generation of Toyota's definitive hybrid be threatened by Honda's "least expensive hybrid", which too offered five doors and good gas mileage? What a difference a year makes...

Another day, another hybrid braking problem. Only this time, it's not Toyota. It's Ford. Late yesterday, Ford announced a "customer satisfaction program" that will ask that owners of 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid models built before October 17 to bring the cars to their...

st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } Chicago, commonly referred to as the "Windy City" perhaps fittingly now holds the title of having the first wind powered electric vehicle charging station in the U.S.  Officially, the station is located in Highland Park, Illinois, a suburb a distant 30 miles from the...

The Braking Issues On the 2010 Prius Rear Their Head

Things are moving fast in the land of Toyota safety issues and recalls. Yesterday, we told you that the 2010 Toyota Prius was being investigated for braking problems in Japan. Today, Toyota has admitted that most 2010 Prius models (those built between the start of production last spring and late...

UPDATE, February 8, 2009: Speaking in a sort-of-webchat on Digg, Toyota president Jim Lentz said of the Woz complaint, "We are working with him on the operation of the cruise control." Please forgive us while we quietly smirk. ++++++++++ It's obviously pile-on-Toyota week. Transportation Secretary...

Citing allegations of braking loss or slippage, Japan's Ministry of Transportation ordered Toyota to launch an investigation into possible brake problems in the new 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid. That car, currently in short supply globally and also the best-selling car in Japan, is the subject of 14...

The Ford Fusion Hybrid is a notable entry in the hybrid segment for several reasons.  For starters, the vehicle is the first truly successful hybrid offering from a domestic automakers.  Second, the vehicle has won numerous awards for its design, powertrain, and efficiency.  Now you can add...

As widely reported yesterday, Toyota has suspended sales of 8 models due to a faulty accelerator pedal mechanism. The defective part apparently causes the pedal to stick, resulting in unintended acceleration and loss of control of the vehicle. So what does a Chicagoland Toyota dealership do when...

It's long been known that hybrid buyers often choose them over luxury cars, and aren't buying them solely for the payback in gasoline savings. But a new Hybrid Scorecard, launched by the Union of Concerned Scientists, slams carmakers for inflating their prices by loading luxury into fuel-efficient...

Speakers throughout today's Electric Drive Transportation Association conference agree: Plug-in electric cars that use little or no gasoline are coming. It's no longer an "if", it's now a "when." To help boost early adoption of cars that run mostly or entirely on grid power, the Federal government...

Hybrids Become Huge Focus For One Car Company

All good things must come to an end, and it's the same with the wildwood weed ... err, with California's HOV-Lane access perk for owners of three hybrids: the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, and Honda Insight. They are set to expire on December 31 of this year. Originally passed in 2005, the law...

The Japanese auto show known as the Tokyo Auto Salon is full of as many customized cars--and just as much weirdness--as its domestic counterpart, the massive SEMA show in Las Vegas. And just as it did at SEMA, with its Aerius and Aemulus customized Prius concepts, Toyota brought a factory custom to...