Toyota made a global statement announcing that around 436 000 vehicles worldwide are to be recalled for inspection and upgrade, including the latest Prius model which is sold in 60 countries, world media reported on February 9 2010. This also included the five vehicles of this model sold in Bulgaria.

The Bulgarian owners were to be notified this week, Toyota Balkans said in a media statement, quoted by Bulgarian-language daily Dnevnik. In the European Union 52 903 vehicles are to be recalled.

According to Dnevnik daily, Bulgarian owners will have their vehicles serviced in 40 minutes, a procedure which will be free of charge.

Internationally, amongst the affected car owners are around 223 000 in Japan and 8500 vehicles in the UK, the BBC reported.

Toyota' headquarters said that the recall in Japan included the Prius model and much smaller numbers of the Prius plug-in hybrid, the SAI and the Lexus HS250h.

"We have decided to recall as we regard the safety of our customers as our foremost priority" company president Akio Toyoda told international media.

"We will do everything in our power to regain the confidence of our customers" he said.

The action from Toyota came after numerous incidents related to the vehicle's breaking system.

Motorists in Japan and the United States complained brakes failed when driven on rough or slippery surfaces.

Toyota, which prides itself with its reliability, blamed a software glitch and said that vehicles sold in 2010 had already been upgraded.

Although there are no reported cases from Toyota owners in Europe or Bulgaria, States-side highway authorities are reporting mounting criticism from motorists.

So far, the brake defect has been confirmed to have been responsible for four crashes in which two people were injured, according to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Prius is the most popular hybrid on the international market and as such, ranked as Japan's top-selling car in 2009, heralded as the best on the market in green auto technology.