WASHINGTON/DETROIT (Reuters) – The spiraling crisis at Toyota Motor Corp deepened on Tuesday as the automaker said it would recall thousands of Camry sedans as well as nearly half a million new Prius and other hybrid cars to fix steering and braking problems.

U.S. regulators also said they are reviewing dozens of complaints about potential steering problems in newer Toyota Corollas.

News of the recalls, the latest in a string of embarrassing Toyota product problems that have affected more than 8.5 million vehicles globally, came as a U.S. congressional committee postponed a hearing scheduled for Wednesday to examine the recalls and Toyota’s response to reports of safety problems with top-selling cars.

In a document sent to U.S. dealers on Tuesday and obtained by Reuters, Toyota said the 2010 Camrys equipped with a 4-cylinder engine might have a shorter-than-required power steering pressure hose in the engine compartment.

WASHINGTON/DETROIT, Feb 9 (Reuters) – As the U.S. Congress gears up to delve into Toyota Motor Corp’s <7203.T> massive global vehicle recall, the question they face is whether the automaker and regulators misread or ignored rising consumer complaints.

Complaints about unintended acceleration rose sharply from model years 2002 to 2007 — a period when Toyota expanded its use of electronic throttle controls, according to an analysis of data compiled by Safety Research and Strategies.

But by 2007, only two formal federal investigations had been launched with one leading to a modest recall — for floor mats. Some 1,700 complaints have been raised for the six model years, peaking at 400 for 2007.

About one-third of those sudden acceleration complaints involve Toyota’s best selling Camry sedan.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. congressional committee postponed a hearing scheduled for Wednesday to examine recent vehicle recalls and how Toyota Motor Co <7203.T> <TM.N> and regulators responded to reports of safety problems with big-selling cars.

Separately, safety regulators said they will continue their probe of brake problems with the 2010 hybrid Prius even though Toyota announced a recall and a remedy. The regulators also said they are reviewing dozens of complaints of steering problems in newer Toyota Corollas.

The House of Representatives Government Oversight Committee rescheduled its hearing for February 24 after weather forecasters warned that Washington could get hit with its second major snowstorm in a week.

Congress launched its investigations amid a spiraling safety crisis for the world’s biggest carmaker, one that has led to three big recalls and has jolted its reputation for building quality vehicles.

WASHINGTON, Feb 9 (Reuters) – A U.S. congressional committee postponed a hearing scheduled for Wednesday to examine recent vehicle recalls and how Toyota Motor Co <7203.T> <TM.N> and regulators responded to reports of safety problems with big-selling cars.

Separately, safety regulators said they will continue their probe of brake problems with the 2010 hybrid Prius even though Toyota announced a recall and a remedy. The regulators also said they are reviewing dozens of complaints of steering problems in newer Toyota Corollas.

The House of Representatives Government Oversight Committee rescheduled its hearing for Feb. 24 after weather forecasters warned that Washington could get hit with its second major snowstorm in a week.

Congress launched its investigations amid a spiraling safety crisis for the world’s biggest carmaker, one that has led to three big recalls and has jolted its reputation for building quality vehicles.

WASHINGTON/DETROIT (Reuters) – Toyota Motor Corp, already reeling from two massive recalls, faced the possibility of a third when U.S. safety regulators opened a probe on Thursday into a braking problem on the Prius, the world’s top-selling hybrid.

The probe of the Prius, which has powered Toyota’s image of fuel efficiency, compounds a safety crisis that has hit its sales, financial results and reputation for quality and prompted the recall of more than 8 million vehicles around the world for problems with uncontrolled acceleration.

Separately, Ford Motor Co said it would roll out a software patch for consumers to address a reported problem with braking on its hybrid Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan models.

Analysts and rivals say the Prius has emerged as a kind of environmental “halo car” for Toyota, an icon of green design with an intense following among loyalists, which has lifted the public image of the whole company.

WASHINGTON/DETROIT, Feb 4 (Reuters) – Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T>, already reeling from two massive recalls, faced the possibility of a third when U.S. safety regulators opened a probe on Thursday into a braking problem on the Prius, the world’s top-selling hybrid.

The probe of the Prius, which has powered Toyota’s image of fuel efficiency, compounds a safety crisis that has hit its sales, financial results and reputation for quality and prompted the recall of more than 8 million vehicles around the world for problems with uncontrolled acceleration.

Separately, Ford Motor Co <F.N> said it would roll out a software patch for consumers to address a reported problem with braking on its hybrid Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan models. [ID:nN0497845]

Analysts and rivals say the Prius has emerged as a kind of environmental “halo car” for Toyota, an icon of green design with an intense following among loyalists, which has lifted the public image of the whole company.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Safety regulators opened a formal investigation into consumer complaints about braking on 2010 Toyota Prius hybrids, the latest jolt to the automaker already reeling from massive recalls and intensified safety scrutiny.

Prius is the world’s best-selling hybrid, and U.S. consumers have clamored for the gasoline-electric vehicle as tastes gravitate away from gas guzzlers to cars and trucks with better fuel efficiency.

Toyota Motor Corp shares, which fell 6 percent on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, were off another 2.3 percent in morning trading on Thursday. They closed off 35 percent in Tokyo.

The Transportation Department’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it had received 124 complaints about momentary Prius braking problems after motorists rolled over bumps or potholes.

WASHINGTON, Feb 4 (Reuters) – U.S. safety regulators opened a formal investigation into consumer complaints about braking on 2010 Toyota Prius hybrids, the latest jolt to the automaker already reeling from massive recalls and intensified safety scrutiny. Prius is the world’s best-selling hybrid, and U.S. consumers have clamored for the gasoline-electric vehicle as tastes gravitate away from gas guzzlers to cars and trucks with better fuel efficiency. Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> <TM.N> shares, which fell 6 percent on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, were off another 2.3 percent in morning trading on Thursday. They closed off 35 percent in Tokyo. The U.S. Transportation Department’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it had received 124 complaints about momentary Prius braking problems after motorists rolled over bumps or potholes. Motorists allege four crashes and two minor injuries were caused by the problems. The NHTSA investigation covers 37,000 vehicles. Some consumers report a brief lag in braking or a "brief surge" while braking, according to a copy of the NHTSA report approving the so-called preliminary evaluation. That action is the first step in the formal NHTSA investigative process, after reviewing complaints and interviewing motorists. It is unclear whether the matter will proceed to a recall. Toyota officials said they would "fully cooperate" with the investigation. The automaker’s engineers in Japan said earlier that they had fixed a software problem related to anti-lock brakes on the new Prius model. Late on Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood spoke with Toyota President Akio Toyoda, who assured him that Toyota takes "U.S. safety concerns seriously," a Transportation Department statement said. Separately, NHTSA is pressing ahead with a new investigation of complaints about Toyota electronic throttle systems to see if they are in any way related to unintended acceleration. No formal investigation has been launched in that matter, a long-standing issue that has been investigated numerous times without a defect finding. Safety advocates and some in Congress have questioned whether NHTSA was aggressive enough in those cases. LaHood said on Wednesday that new complaints have been received. Toyota says it has found no evidence of accelerator-related safety problems beyond those covered in two recent recalls covering 5.5 million vehicles in the United States and 2.6 million more worldwide.[ID:nN01214023] Two congressional committees are investigating Toyota safety issues and NHTSA’s handling of them, with hearings scheduled for Feb. 10 and Feb. 25. On Thursday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee released a letter sent Wednesday to Toyota seeking information received since May about consumer complaints, warranty reports, and accidents relating to alleged Prius braking and cruise control issues. The panel, which also sought information from NHTSA, also wants any internal Toyota analyses that may have been performed, as well as any service bulletins to dealers or notices to consumers, according to letters sent by Representative Darrell Issa, the committee’s top Republican. (Reporting by John Crawley; Additional reporting by Soyoung Kim in Detroit; editing by Gerald E. McCormick and John Wallace)