• by Karl Greenberg , November 30, 2010

Toyota is recalling 650,000 third-generation Prius cars because the car's coolant pump can cause the vehicles to overheat and lose power, The Detroit Bureau reports.

According to DB, 60% of the Prius hybrids involved in what is officially a service action were sold in the United States, and that the automaker will cover the cost of any repairs conducted at one of its dealerships. The problem involves only Prius hybrids built between 2004 and 2007.  The maker subsequently switched to a different pump design.

Consumer Reports gave the latest version of the car an average reliability rating per the Detroit Bureau. Since the first recall for unintended acceleration, Toyota has recalled about 14 million vehicles worldwide, including 11 million in the U.S.