The spiraling crisis at Toyota Motor Corp deepened on Tuesday as the automaker said it would recall thousands of Camry sedans as well as nearly half a million new Prius and other hybrid cars to fix steering and braking problems.
U.S. regulators also said they are reviewing dozens of complaints about potential steering problems in newer Toyota Corollas.
News of the recalls, the latest in a string of embarrassing Toyota product problems that have affected more than 8.5 million vehicles globally, came as a U.S. congressional committee postponed a hearing scheduled for Wednesday to examine the recalls and Toyota's response to reports of safety problems with top-selling cars.
In a document sent to U.S. dealers on Tuesday and obtained by Reuters, Toyota said the 2010 Camrys equipped with a 4-cylinder engine might have a shorter-than-required power steering pressure hose in the engine compartment.
That could deplete the brake fluid, increasing the brake pedal stroke and making it more difficult and requiring more time to stop the vehicle, Toyota said.
Toyota notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Tuesday of its intention to conduct a voluntary safety recall, the document showed.
Toyota ended days of speculation on Tuesday and recalled more than 400,000 hybrid models, including the latest version of its iconic Prius, to rectify a problem with the regenerative brakes that help charge the cars' electric batteries.
