Last year, automakers recalled a record 63.5 million cars. Looking at that figure might make you think it's a record that won't be broken anytime soon, but with Takata having already issued an airbag-related recall for around 41 million vehicles and with various automakers announcing new recall campaigns every month, it looks like we're headed toward a new low for the automotive industry. Toyota,->ke88 one of the many brands involved in the Takata airbag recall, has just issued a new callback, this time around for a software glitch.

The recall affects no fewer than 625,000 2015 Toyota Prius V models (Prius Plus in Europe and Prius Alpha in other markets), 109,000 of which were sold in the United States. Most of them, about 340,000, are in Japan, while 160,000 are located in Europe. The recall affects cars produced between May 2010 and November 2014.

In the involved vehicles, the software settings for the motor/generator control ECU and hybrid control ECU could result in higher thermal stress in certain transistors, which could cause them to become damaged. If this happens, the vehicle can enter a "failsafe mode," and in rare circumstances, the hybrid system might shut down while the vehicle is being driven. This would result in a sudden loss of power and the vehicle coming to a stop. Toyota said there had been no reports of crashes or injuries.

Owners will be notified by mail and Toyota dealers will update the software for both the motor/generator control ECU and hybrid control ECU.

Continue reading for the full story.

Why it matters

Recalls->ke5153 have been a major issue in recent years and, as things stand, things aren't getting any better. Though it's still regarded as one of the automakers that builds the most reliable cars, Toyota continues to struggle with recalls only a bit more than a year since it agreed to pay $1.2 billion in settlement with the U.S. over its unintended acceleration recalls. Sure, this issue with the Prius V is nowhere near as serious, but it makes me wonder if makers such as Toyota and GM->ke1024 will be able to get rid of their current "total recall" image.

2014 Toyota Prius V Driven

Find out more about the Toyota Prius V in our test drive here.