(February 9, 2010) Toyota says it is recalling about 437,000 Prius and other hybrid vehicles worldwide to fix brake problems -- the latest in a string of embarrassing safety lapses at the world's largest automaker.

"I don't see Toyota as an infallible company that never makes mistakes," President Akio Toyoda said at a press conference Tuesday in Tokyo. "We will face up to the facts and correct the problem, putting customers' safety and convenience first."

About 155,000 cars are being recalled in North America. The tally includes 139,000 Prius, 16,000 Lexus HS vehicles and 30 of the Prius Plug-ins.

The Prius will continue to be manufactured and sold, because a software upgrade to fix the break problem was introduced last month. Prius made since then aren't affected by the recall.

The fix involves upgrading the vehicle's braking software to accelerate the switch from regenerative to antilock braking. It will take dealers about 40 minutes per car, Toyota said.

The recall, to address complaints that the cars' brakes momentarily slip or give way, hits Toyota and Lexus brand cars in North America and three other continents.

The safety campaign comes on the heels of a string of other international recalls totaling 8.1 million vehicles since last October. But the latest action is especially painful because it targets the gasoline-electric hybrids that turned the name Toyota into a byword for green car.