Toyota to fix cooling pump problem in 650,000 Prius vehicles worldwide

Toyota to fix cooling pump problem in 650,000 Prius vehicles worldwide

2010-12-01 02:30:36 GMT+7 (ICT)

TOKYO (BNO NEW) — Toyota Motor Co. on Tuesday announced that it has issued a voluntary "limited service campaign" on around 650,000 Prius models worldwide in order to fix its cooling pumps, which can lead to the vehicle overheating.

Air can leak into water pumps that cool parts of the electric drive systems on model year 2004 through 2007 Priuses, and the excess air in the cooling system can allow bubbles to form which can, in turn, inhibit cooling, and therefore, overheating.

The overheating condition might cause a warning light to illuminate, and could lead to the engine losing power. However, the company is not considering this a recall, rather a repair program, because the problem in question is not considered a safety issue.

This cooling system is separate from the cooling system for the car's gasoline engine. Hybrid cars such as the Prius have both a gasoline engine and electric motor.

Once sensors in the car detect overheating of the electric drive system and a warning light alerts the driver to the problem, the car will enter a "safe mode" in which total driving power will be reduced.

Owners of model year 2004 through 2007 Priuses have until November 2013, to have the water pump replaced at no cost. Priuses built after the 2007 model year and other Toyota and Lexus hybrid models do not use the same water pump, and therefore are not involved in the campaign.

The program affects around 378,000 vehicles in North America.

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