TOYOTA says it will recall 400,000 hybrid vehicles worldwide, including its hero car the Prius.
The decision was announced at a press conference in Tokyo, the Herald Sun reports.
- Do you have a Toyota Prius? Have you had problems with your car? Have Your Say in the form below.
The company is pulling 223,068 hybrid vehicles in Japan and about 147,500 in the US due to a problem with the braking system, in a recall that also extends to Europe and other markets, it announced.
Toyota says 111 cases of inconsistent brake feel have been reported across the world, including two in Australia.
The recall affects Priuses built between April 7, 2009 and January 27, 2010.
Toyota's president Akio Toyoda vowed that the car giant would do "everything in our power" to regain customer confidence after its mass global safety recalls spread to its popular Prius hybrid.
Doubts over the operation of the car's braking system, combined with the botched handling of a massive safety problem with accelerator problems in many of its models, has led to the decision.
Mr Toyoda, grandson of the company's founder and the man who has already said sorry for the recall of cars fitted with the faulty accelerator, fronted the media during the official confirmation of the recall.
Toyota Australia refuses to comment until the announcement from headquarters, but it has already stated it will follow any international recall program for the Prius.
The recall is only expected to cover the latest Prius model, which went on sale in Australia in July last year.
Only 2300 cars are involved in this country and only 1700 of those are actually with customers.
After deciding at the weekend to issue recalls in Japan and the US covering 270,000 vehicles, the embattled carmaker was yesterday reported to be preparing to offer the same free fix to about 30,000 Prius owners in more than 50 other countries, The Australian reports.
Some 8 million Toyotas have been recalled since October to fix faulty accelerator pedals and potentially pedal-jamming mats, in the worst safety and quality control crisis in the company's 73-year history.
Toyota is also expected to extend the recall to other new hybrids that use the same braking system as the Prius - a luxury Lexus and the Sai compact - in all affecting about 330,000 vehicles worldwide.
