Toyota is to recall about 400,000 Prius and other petrol-electric hybrid cars worldwide for brake problems.

This is the latest in a string of embarrassing safety lapses at the world's largest car-maker.

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

The braking problem for the third-generation remodelled Prius is the latest safety woe for Toyota, which is already trying to fix problems in millions of vehicles recalled for other defects, including a sticky accelerator pedal.

Toyota has filed papers to recall about 223,000 hybrid cars in Japan, including the Prius Full Image

Toyota officials went to Japan's transport ministry to formally issue notification that the company is recalling the 2010 Prius petrol-electric hybrid - the world's top-selling hybrid car - and two other hybrid models.

In total, the recall involves over 223,000 hybrid cars. Toyota will recall nearly 200,000 Priuses sold in Japan from April last year until Monday, according to papers the car-maker filed with the ministry.

There have been nearly 200 complaints in Japan and the US of drivers experiencing a short delay before the brakes kick in. The delay does not indicate a brake failure. A fix requires new software that oversees the controls of the antilock brakes, the papers said.

Toyota had earlier said a fix was already in cars in production starting late last month, but it was unclear if the recall includes those cars as well.

"Let me assure everyone that we will redouble our commitment to quality as the lifeline of our company," Toyoda said. "We will do everything in our power to regain the confidence of our customers."

The two other hybrids being recalled are the Lexus HS250h saloon, sold in the US and Japan, and the Sai, which is sold only in Japan. The new software for those models is still being developed, Toyota said.