Toyota recalls Prius because of door handle fault

Toyota 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 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 (R1.35bn) in costs due to the product recall.