Toyota Chief: No Decision on Prius Brakes

Updated with comments from Toyota's president

TOKYO (TheStreet) -- Toyota (TM) President Akio Toyoda apologized Friday for the global recalls at the automaker and said he would lead a committee that would focus on quality control.

Toyoda said the company was still deciding what to do to fix braking problems with the popular Prius hybrid, the Associated Press reports.

It was reported earlier that Toyota planned to alert the U.S. and Japanese governments it would recall 270,000 Prius hybrids, but the world's No. 1 automaker said no decision has been made.

"Nothing has been decided on whether we will recall or not," spokeswoman Ririko Takeuchi said earlier Friday AP reports.

Toyota said Thursday there were design problems with the antilock brake system in the new Prius, which went on sale in May 2009. The automaker corrected the design for Prius models sold since late January, but not for vehicles sold before that time.

The braking problems on the Prius came to light after Toyota began a massive global recall because of sticking has pedals. The Prius wasn't part of this recall.

Toyota shares rose 1.1% Friday in Tokyo.

Ford(F), meanwhile, plans to fix 17,600 Mercury Milan and Ford Fusion gas-electric hybrids because of a software problem that can give drivers the impression that the brakes have failed. The automaker says the problem occurs in transition between two braking systems and at no time are drivers without brakes, AP reports.

-- Reported by Joseph Woelfel in New York.

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