Move would further tarnish firm's already battered reputation

TOKYO: Toyota Motor Corp will recall its 2010 model Prius hybrid car in Japan this week to repair a problem with the vehicle's braking system, two people familiar with the matter said, adding to global recalls of almost 8 million autos for separate defects.

The world's largest automaker plans to recall at least 270,000 of the gasoline-electric hatchbacks in Japan and the US, one person said, declining to be identified as the information isn't yet public. Juergen Stolze, a Toyota spokesman in Germany, said the carmaker will decide whether to recall Prius cars in Europe by Feb 10.