Report: Toyota To Recall Prius Hybrid In US, JapanToyota will recall 270,000 Prius hybrid vehicles over brake problems in the United States and Japan, a report said Friday, while the beleaguered auto giant launched an investigation into possible problems with the brakes in two more hybrids including the luxury Lexus.
The recall would affect the new Prius hybrid model, and Toyota Motor Corp. would soon notify Japan's transport ministry and the U.S. Department of Transportation of the recall, Japan's top business newspaper, Nihon Keizai, said Friday.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK also said Toyota was considering a recall of Prius hybrids in the U.S. and Japan.
Takayuki Fujimoto, a transport ministry official, said the government has yet to receive a recall notice from Toyota. Toyota cannot announce a recall in Japan until it notifies the ministry.
Toyota spokeswoman Ririko Takeuchi said Friday that Toyota had not yet decided whether to recall the Prius.
"Nothing has been decided on whether we will recall or not," Takeuchi said.
The new Prius hybrid went on sale in Japan and the United States in May 2009. More than 170,000 of the new Prius models have been sold in Japan, with around 103,000 sold in the U.S. since May.
Toyota, reeling from massive global recalls of 4.5 million vehicles involving faulty gas pedals, acknowledged Thursday design problems with the brakes in its prized Prius.
Complaints about braking problems in the Prius -- the world's top-selling gas-electric hybrid -- have been reported in the U.S. and Japan, combining to some 180.
Shares in Toyota rebounded Friday from a 10-month low a day earlier, closing 1.1 percent higher at 3,315 yen. But they have fallen about 20 percent since Jan. 21 when the automaker announced gas pedal recalls in the U.S.
Takeuchi said Toyota has launched a probe into two more hybrids -- the luxury Lexus HS250h hybrid model and the compact luxury sedan Sai-- for possible brake problems as the vehicles use the same brake system as the new Prius hybrid.
"We want to ensure safety for our customers," Takeuchi said. Toyota has not received any complaints about the Lexus HS250h and the Sai. The luxury HS250h went on sale in Japan in July 2009, and September last year in North America.
Around 8,500 Lexus HS250h vehicles were sold in Japan from July to December 2009. In North America, Toyota sold 7,000 of the Lexus HS250h.
The Sai went on sale in Japan in December 2009 with sales of 3,800 units. The Sai is sold only in Japan, and Toyota said it has no plan to export the vehicle abroad.
TV Asahi said Toyota will recall the Lexus HS250h and the Sai, along with the new Prius model.
Toyota said Thursday it had corrected problems with the antilock brake system in the new Prius models sold since late last month, including those shipped overseas.
But the company said it was still deciding what steps to take to fix the problem in Prius cars sold in Japan and overseas before late January.
The Prius, now in its third generation since its 1997 introduction, is the best-selling gas-electric hybrid in the world, racking up a cumulative 1.6 million vehicles sold so far, according to Toyota.
East Coast Preps For Heavy Snowstorm
The threat of up to 2 feet of snow in parts of the Mid-Atlantic caused airline cancellations Friday, school closures and emptied Virginia's Statehouse.
Those who can work from home should do so, said Joan Morris, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Transportation. Across the region, state officials were deploying thousands of trucks and employees and had hundreds of thousands of tons of salt at the ready.
"This is not a good mix," Morris said. "Heavy, wet snow with gusting winds is going to make it a very tough storm for us. I expect visibility will be very poor in spots, and we'll have to deal with drifting snow."
The National Weather Service issued a warning stretching from Baltimore to northern Virginia and parts of West Virginia. Total accumulations of 16 inches to 24 inches are expected.
The weather service warns that the mix of heavy snow and strong winds would make travel Friday night "very hazardous or nearly impossible."
Virginia's General Assembly canceled Friday's floor sessions and committee meetings, the first time anyone could remember that the threat of snow had sent the whole legislature home. Officials urged people to stock up on supplies Thursday night and warned of a tough evening commute Friday.
Virginia Del. Tim Hugo was hurrying out of a Thursday afternoon committee meeting so he could get home to Fairfax County, a Washington suburb that's supposed to get hit.
"I'm heading out of here now because I don't want my wife stranded at home with 2 feet of snow in the drive," he said.
Southwest Airlines canceled Friday afternoon flights at Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington airports. Amtrak canceled most trains heading south from Washington, D.C.
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who has been in office less than a month, declared his second snow emergency, authorizing state agencies to assist local governments. The assistance includes deploying National Guard soldiers and emergency response teams.
A mid-December storm brought about 20 inches of snow to many areas in the region. Between that and several smaller snowfalls, the region's road crews have had plenty of practice in the past two months.
Maryland highway officials said they have spent about $50 million so far clearing and treating roads this winter. That's almost twice the $26 million that had been budgeted.
The Virginia Department of Transportation said it already spent the $79 million budgeted for statewide snow removal and was tapping into emergency maintenance funds. Once that $25 million reserve is exhausted, the department said it will have to dip into other programs to cover its costs.
American-Born Pandas Reach New Chinese Home
Two American-born giant pandas arrived at their new China home Friday to find just what they'd left in the United States -- live TV coverage and a passionate crowd.
Mei Lan and Tai Shan, carried in a cargo jet, left a tearful crowd in Washington for a special breeding mission in efforts to keep the well-loved but endangered species going.
"Both pandas have become endearing goodwill ambassadors for China in the United States," said David Brown, U.S. consul general in Chengdu, the capital of the southwestern province of Sichuan.
Millions of people fell in love with 3-year-old Mei Lan from Zoo Atlanta and Tai Shan, a 4 1/2-year-old born in Washington, watching them grow up via online panda cams.
China has long used pandas as a friendly gesture in diplomacy, and they may be China's most compelling ambassadors as the country clashes with the U.S. on many issues, including trade, human rights and Internet security.
"A team of panda keepers are waiting for Tai Shan's return, including zoologists, vets and nutritionists," Wang Chengdong, with the Ya'an Bifeng Gorge Breeding Base, told the state-run Xinhua News Agency. "We have also prepared a variety of fresh bamboo for him to choose from."
Mei Lan will go to the Chengdu Research Base, which has already started looking for a Chinese teacher for her. It's also asked the public to choose her "boyfriend" among profiles of male pandas posted online.
Tai Shan's departure gave diplomats a rare moment of harmony.
"He is a tangible, and furry, manifestation of cooperation between the United States and China," U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Thursday.
Xie Feng, minister of the Chinese Embassy, said Tai Shan "has grown up with the blessing, love and care of the American people."
"He has now grown into a handsome young man, and it's time for him to go home," he said.
The first panda couple at the National Zoo, Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing, arrived in 1972 as a gift to the U.S. people after President Richard Nixon's historic visit.
None of their five cubs survived. That's partly why Tai Shan, the first cub to grow up in the U.S. capital, is so adored.
China lent Tai Shan's and Mei Lan's parents to U.S. zoos for conservation and breeding. Tai Shan's parents are expected to return to China in December 2011, Xinhua reported.
The young pandas will become part of a breeding program in their endangered species' native land. About 1,600 giant pandas live in the wild, and another 290 are in captive-breeding programs worldwide, mainly in China.
Cops: Man Put 75 Bottles Of Lotion In Pants
Police say a Massachusetts man who stuffed 75 bottles of body lotion in his pants couldn't slip away from authorities, hampered by slacks that were nearly bursting at the seams.
Springfield police say 30-year-old Chamil Guadarrama of Framingham was charged with larceny after the incident Wednesday night at Bath and Body Works in the Eastfield Mall.
Police say mall security officers chased Guadarrama, but he had stuffed so many of the eight-ounce lotion containers in his pants that he could barely run. Police say he could not bend over to get in the police cruiser until some of the bottles were removed.
It was unclear if Guadarrama has an attorney. A telephone number for him could not immediately be found Thursday.
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