It’s official. After much speculation as to when, Toyota has recalled thousands of  hybrids, including the 2010 Prius and the Lexus HS250h, because of faulty brakes. This second global recall from Toyota since January constitutes more than 400,000 Prius, Lexus and other hybrid vehicles.

The latest action involves 133,000 Prius cars and 14,500 Lexus HS250h vehicles sold in the U.S.; nearly 53,000 Priuses in Europe; and 223,000 hybrids sold in Japan. The call back resulted from owner complaints that Prius brakes would temporarily quit working on bumpy or slick roads.

Last week, Toyota admitted that the braking system on third-generation Priuses had a design flaw, and that it had already corrected that issue for Prius models sold since late January. At the time Toyota promised it was working on a solution for Prius hybrids already on the road.

At the same time, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced it was investigating the 2010 Toyota Prius in connection to momentary brake loss while traveling over bumpy or uneven roads. The NHTSA said it had received 124 consumer complaints, including four incidents alleging crashes.

Prius’s two braking systems seem to be the problematic issue : a conventional one and a regenerative one, in which braking friction recharges the car’s batteries. Apparently, a software malfunction can occur when the car switches between the two systems.

The Lexus HS250 has the same mechanical brake components as those in Toyota’s 2010 Prius, but the two gas-electric hybrid cars use different software systems for brake control.

Besides the Prius and Lexus hybrid recall, Toyota is pulling its latest Camry, involving 7,300 vehicles with a power steering pressure hose in the engine compartment that might be the wrong length. This could cause a hole in the brake tube and considerable brake fluid loss.

Toyota President, Akio Toyoda, announced at a news conference that the brake fix would take about 40 minutes and be done by dealers. Toyoda also made amends to customers for the inconvenience and concern the Prius and other recent recalls have caused, and promised to “redouble our commitment to quality.”

This is the second time in a week that Toyoda has atoned for his company’s blunders. At a news conference last Thursday, he apologized for Toyota’s recent recalls of millions of cars for sudden acceleration.

As of January 2010, Toyota had recalled a total 5.3 million vehicles in the U.S. due to situations of dangerous, unintended acceleration. On January 21, Toyota pulled 2.3 million vehicles because accelerator pedals became stuck in a depressed position, causing unexpected and dangerous acceleration.

In September 2009, Toyota announced it was recalling and replacing floor mats on approximately 4.2 million vehicles which were allegedly causing accelerator pedals to stick in the depressed position, leading to uncontrollable and rapid acceleration surges.