Big Prius Recall in the US

Nearly 3 million Toyota vehicles around the world are being recalled due to a water pump problem and defective steering shaft, according to a press release Toyota issued Wednesday. 

Approximately, 2.77 million vehicles are affected by the combined recalls, including 670,000 in the U.S. They include Prius hybrids from the 2004 to 2009 model years.

Approximately 350,000 of these same Prius vehicles are being recalled also to replace the electric water pump for the hybrid system.

Car owners can bring their vehicle into a dealership to be inspected and, in some cases, have the steering intermediate extension shaft or the electric water pump replaced, according to Toyota. 

Toyota of Puyallup is located at 1400 River Road.

The steering column repair will take approximately one hours depending on the dealer's work schedule, while the water pump replacement could take two hours, Toyota said.

There have been no crashes or injuries reported for these two conditions.

Owners of vehicles covered by these safety recalls will receive an owner notification letter via first class mail starting next month, Toyota said. 

Detailed information is available to customers at www.toyota.com/recall and the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331.