Japanese government receives complaints on Toyota Prius brake

Toyota Motor Corp has been hit by complaints about brake problems in the new generation of its Prius hybrid as the world's largest carmaker struggles to deal with the recall of millions of its cars worldwide over defective accelerator pedals, DPA reported.

Japan's transport ministry said Wednesday that it had received 14 complaints about Prius brakes after more than 100 similar problems were reported in the United States.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism told Toyota to investigate the matter after receiving information on an accident in July in Chiba prefecture that left two people injured.

A Toyota official said the company was aware of the complaints and was investigating the matter, the Kyodo News agency reported.

The latest Prius model is not part of the recent 7.6-million-car, eight-model recall over gas pedals.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it had received more than 100 complaints of Prius brakes temporarily not functioning on bumpy or slippery roads. One crash has been reported because of the problem.