The Japanese auto maker confirmed Wednesday it was recalling a total of 1.9 million Prius hybrid cars worldwide because of a fault that could cause the vehicles to slow down or stop completely.

The company added the decision to recall the eco-friendly cars was taken after problems with the software controlling a power converter were found.

"Because in the worst case the car could stop while driving we do consider this a potential safety issue and that's the reason why we are implementing this recall," Toyota said in a statement.

Green, but unsafe?

The carmaker said no incidents had yet been reported as a result of the defect, saying it was purely a precautionary measure after 400 cases were reported, most of them in Japan.

Toyota said the recall affected 997,000 vehicles in Japan, 713,000 in North America with the remainder spread across Europe, the Middle East and China.

The company had already recalled Prius cars in 2010 and 2013 for a variety of faults. The model is the world's first mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid car.

hg/jm (AFP, AP)