Toyota recalls Prius cars due to door handle fault

FILE PHOTO: A view of the newly redesigned 2023 Prius unveiled by Japanese automaker Toyota prior to the start of the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, U.S., November 16, 2022. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

(This April 17 story has been officially corrected after Toyota clarified it incorrectly stated customer orders for the Prius model had been suspended, in the the headline and paragraph 1)

TOKYO (Reuters) – Toyota Motor has recalled more than 135,000 Prius hybrid cars in Japan due to a problem with rear door handles.

The cars being recalled were manufactured between November 2022 and April 2024, according to a transport ministry filing. No accidents have been reported due to the fault.

It was not immediately clear if Prius cars sold outside Japan were also being recalled.

A Toyota spokesperson said that an assembly line which had been suspended due to quality checks for Prius cars will resume production of Corolla compact cars on Thursday.

Toyota supplier Tokai Rika Co said its door switches for Prius cars had issues and the company expected to incur 11 billion yen ($71 million) in costs due to the product recall.

($1 = 154.5600 yen)

(Reporting by Maki Shiraki and Mariko Katsumura; Writing by Kantaro Komiya; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Edwina Gibbs)