The Japanese brand said the hybrid system could fail, which in some circumstances could cause the car to lose power under hard acceleration.

In normal circumstances when a component breaks, Toyota’s software will put the car into a fail safe mode which will lower power and allow the driver to pull over safely.

But a software fault has been identified. Instead of putting the car into a fail safe mode, it will cut power completely, with the car acting as though it is in neutral.

Power steering and braking are still operational.

However, there is an increased risk of an accident and injury or death of vehicle occupants and other road users if this occurs.

The recall is for the 2014 and 2015 Toyota Prius and 2015-2018 Toyota Corolla Hybrid and affects about 6000 vehicles.

Toyota will contact affected owners in writing and request they make an appointment at a dealership for a free software update to the vehicle’s Power Management control unit.

Dealership showrooms have shut in Victoria due to Level 4 lockdown, but according to Toyota, emergency vehicle repairs and critical maintenance are the exception and some of our Metropolitan Melbourne Dealers will continue to operate this essential service.

Toyota’s hybrid range had one of its best sales months to date in July.

More than 6200 Toyota hybrids found new homes in the past month – 40 per cent of the brand’s total sales.

This jump in hybrid sales helped propel the Toyota RAV4 SUV to the top of the sales chart – 80 per cent of its more than 4300 sales were the petrol-electric model.

This is the first time in years a non-ute has been Australia’s favourite vehicle.

The Toyota Corolla was the fourth best selling vehicle in July.