Toyota recalls Prius, other hybrids over brakes

The fallout would likely help the likes of Korea's Hyundai Motor, which is set to launch its first hybrid model in the United States later this year, he added.

The new Prius is sold in some 60 countries, with cumulative sales of almost 350,000 units.

In an op-ed in the Washington Post, Toyoda said the company would communicate more with U.S. regulators including U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Toyoda, who is due to meet with Japan's Transport Minister later on Tuesday, said he had heard of some cancellations of orders for hybrids affected by the recall.

GLITCH FIXED

Owners of the latest, third-generation Prius have complained that on bumpy roads and on ice, the regenerative brakes which help charge the vehicles' electric battery appear to slip and it lurches forward before the traditional brakes engage.

Toyota has said it had fixed a software glitch in the anti-brake lock system (ABS) on the model at the end of last month, and that cars being produced now would not be subject to any recall.

An official at Japan's Transport Ministry said Toyota would halt sales of all the hybrid models in Japan except the 2010 Prius until a fix was in place, likely in late-February or early March.

U.S. automaker Ford Motor Co said last week it would roll out a software patch for consumers to address similar problems with braking on two of its hybrid models, without filing a recall.

Shares in Toyota, which lost about a fifth of their value since late January, closed up 2.9 percent, outperforming a 0.2 percent fall in the Nikkei average.