Please Note this Updated Information to my previous message:

Japan's Nikkei newspaper reported that "Toyota will halt domestic production of its Sai and Lexus HS250h hybrids, which are to be recalled for faulty brakes at the end of this week. " This information came to me via Yahoo News dated Feb 8 2010.




I have an HS 250h and am concerned about what is not being said by Toyota.
The HS 250h is a very low volume vehicle and will not command the attention that the Prius gets.

Toyota dealers were emailed a messag on Fri Feb 5 2010. Part of the message was:

" Toyota blames a software glitch and says it has already fixed vehicles in production. But it's still deciding how to handle repairs on 270,000 Priuses that were sold in the U.S. and Japan starting last year. The company could announce a full-fledged safety recall or simply ask owners to bring their vehicles in for repairs, since the brakes aren't failing completely."

Does anybody out there know if the Lexus HS 250h has the same problem with brakes? There is enough mis-information out there to confuse a Toyota master mechanic!

My dealer in Dallas says the Prius and the Lexus hybrid are "totally different". I am a retired engineer and do not believe it - the technology is definately shared, and maybe some software, firmware, and hardware are identical.

 

There are hardware shared components, but the software for the HS 250h braking system is different. The Prius issue is a software fix for the ABS system, which had a delayed response for braking when going over bumps or rough terrain. Given that the HS 250h system software is different, the Prius software changes do not apply.

 

FWIW, I've asked my salesman to check into this as well, although I haven't gotten a response yet (I have a 250h on order, scheduled for "late Feb, early March delivery"; I'm guessing, regardless of if the brake issue affects the HS, I'm going to be waiting a bit longer as Toyota dedicates more and more resources to dealing with all the recalls.

 

Yes ... the HS can have the same problem occur. I have had it happen one time on my HS in 5 months ... and others in this forum have also expressed experiencing it.

From what I have been able to gather reading various forums and threads ... for the Gen II/III Prius, TCH, Ford Hybrids (use similar technology), and our HS250h ... it can happen. The frequency will depend hitting the "exact" circumstance that causes it. It has been noted in forum threads for several years (read this is not a "new" issue). The PR "machine" is trying to spin it as new ... but it's really not.

I personally think that any manufacturer's vehicle that uses a regenerative braking process to get back energy and to assist w/braking can have this behavior. I have owned other hybrids where it is much more obvious.

I haven't heard anyone complain about the transition between in the 10-5 mph from regen braking to using the "normal" brakes. If you're paying attention ... it's there also.

Hybrid's in general have a different driving personality then a normal ICE engine vehicle. There's no way to avoid this due to the additional systems that get introduced into the mix. It would be the same as expecting a BMW 335 to behave exactly like a Lexus ES350 ... or in Lexus terms ... a IS to a ES ... it just isn't the "same".