We expect the products we buy and consume to be safe for our use and consumption. Unfortunately, sometimes products pose potential risks to our health or safety. When a potential hazard with a product becomes known, it is common for the producer of the product to issue a recall to help inform consumers of the potential hazard. One type of product that is often the subject of recalls is automobiles. Recently, the automaker, Toyota, issued a recall for some of its vehicles.

The recall comes after the discovery that the engines in the impacted vehicles can lose power, which can lead to them stalling. The recall impacts over 750,000 vehicles around the world, with 267,000 of the recalled vehicles in the United States. The recall impacts some of Toyota’s hybrid vehicles, including certain 2013 to 215 Toyota Prius models and 2014 t0 2017 Prius v hybrids.

The company announced that it is possible for the impacted vehicles to go into a fail-safe mode if there are faults in the hybrid system. In rare instances, the vehicles will not enter into the fail-safe mode when there is a fault. If they do not enter into the fail-safe mode, the engines can lose power and stall. The company stated that even if the fail-safe mode failed, power steering and braking would remain fully functional, but the stalling could increase the risk of a crash when the vehicle is traveling at high speeds.

Owners of the vehicles impacted by the recall will be notified in late August. Owners of the recalled vehicles will be able to take their vehicle to a dealership where they will update the software at no cost to the owners. Additionally, anyone who had an inverter failure in the system will be able to get a new one installed.