Toyota recalls 625,000 Prius cars due to a software glitch

Japanese automaker Toyota has recalled 625,000 hybrid vehicles globally, mostly its Prius model due to a defect that can bring the car to an unexpected halt.

According to Toyota, the problem was linked to software that controls a power converter, similar to an issue last year that led to the recall of 1.9 million Prius cars -- Toyota's biggest ever for its signature petrol-electric vehicle, reported AFP.

However, no accidents or injuries had been reported so far, the company has claimed.

"In limited instances, the hybrid system might shut down while the vehicle is being driven, resulting in the loss of power, bringing the vehicle to stop," said Toyota, the world's biggest car maker.

The latest call back affected the Prius V, which is also sold as the Prius Alpha and Prius+, as well as some Auris hybrid vehicles.

More than half the recalled vehicles were sold in Japan with most of the others in North America and Europe between May 2010 and November 2014.

The Prius was one of the first hybrid cars to go mainstream and was quickly adopted as a symbol of green technology, with the likes of actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz snapped behind the wheel.

The car maker has sold over seven million hybrid cars across the world since the debut of its Prius hybrid in 1997 in the first mass production of green cars.

It has roughly 30 hybrid models sold in more than 90 countries worldwide.

(Image: Reuters)