Toyota has cited 'inconsistencies' in the story of a US man who called police for help saying his Prius vehicle was speeding uncontrollably down a California highway.
The story made headlines in the US last week after a local television station captured images of the blue 2008 Prius and the car's owner spoke to reporters about his harrowing experience.
The case added fuel to criticism that Toyota has failed to address potential electronic problems with more than eight million vehicles recalled worldwide due to problems with sudden acceleration.
Toyota reiterated that it has found no problems with its electronics and that its mechanical fixes are sufficient and criticised those would 'rush to judgment'.
The March 8 incident came at a crucial time for Toyota. The car maker has been struggling for almost two months to reassure a jittery public it has turned a corner in dealing with safety issues that sparked a recall of 8.5 million vehicles.
Although Toyota's March US sales have been up sharply because of cash rebates and zero-percent financing offers, some analysts have said the long-term commercial damage from the car maker's safety crisis remains harder to assess.
Scrutiny of the Prius, a vehicle the car maker considers its most important, has also raised the stakes for the company in ongoing US investigations of unintended acceleration.
Toyota plans to cut output of the Prius by 10% starting this month due to a sales slowdown, a source with knowledge of the plans said.
The 2010 Prius was the subject of a February recall for braking problems, and the 2004 to 2009 model-year Prius hybrids were included in an October recall for loose floor mats.
