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In the latest blow to Toyota Motor Corp, safety regulators opened a formal probe into problems with the brakes of the Prius, the world's top-selling hybrid and a vehicle that has powered the automaker's reputation for fuel-efficiency.

Toyota Motor Corp. has been hit by over 100 complaints in the U.S. and Japan about brake problems with the popular Prius hybrid, the latest in a spate of quality troubles for the automaker as it grapples with massive global recalls.

US auto sales rose in January but were tempered by Toyota Motor Corp. (TM), which suffered a sales slide late in the month from a recall that led the auto maker to halt sales of more than half its vehicles.

The automaker says it has found a remedy that is 'both effective and simple.' The parts are being shipped to dealerships, which will remain open 24 hours a day to make the repairs.

Toyota Motor Corp.

Toyota is gearing up for a publicity offensive Monday morning, with a senior American executive going on television to discuss solutions to the company's recalls, as the Japanese auto maker seeks to allay consumer concerns over sudden acceleration.

Ford, the only U.S. automaker to avoid bankruptcy court, clawed its way to a $2.7 billion profit in 2009 and expects to stay in the black in 2010. It was the automaker's first annual profit in four years.

Toyota Motor Corp late on Wednesday said it is expanding a recall of its cars and trucks by another 1.1 million vehicles to address the risk of accelerator pedals becoming dangerously stuck.

Toyota is recalling 2.3 million U.S. vehicles to correct sticking accelerator pedals, the latest in a string of quality problems that have bedeviled the Japanese automaker.

The debate over distracted driving ramped up a notch on Thursday as Ford Motor Co. announced technology to let computers read their Twitter feeds to them while they're driving.

Even as concerns rise about technology distractions for drivers, automakers are rapidly bringing PC features to the dashboard.