Does Toyota's global Prius recall affect you?

Japanese automaker Toyota is recalling nearly a half million of its Prius and other hybrid cars for braking problems, sure to further shake consumer confidence in the carmaker.

The recall covers a total of 436,000 units globally, including the 2010 Prius, Sai, Prius PHV (plug-in hybrid) and Lexus HS250h.

The gas-electric Prius cars were sold from May last year through January. Toyota says a software glitch is behind the problem.

Toyota says it will begin mailing letters to Prius owners included in this recall next week and HS 250h owners within the next few weeks, to let them know when to bring their vehicles into a dealership. Owners will only receive a letter if their vehicle is involved in the recall.