Toyota said Sunday it will soon announce a plan for dealing with braking problems in its Prius hybrid amid reports that the world's largest automaker plans to issue a recall for the latest model of the vehicle in Japan.

According to AP, Toyota Motor Corp. has already had to recall more than 7 million other cars in the U.S., Europe and China over a sticky accelerator and floor mats that can get caught in the gas pedal. Those problems and criticism of Toyota's response to them have sullied the stellar reputation for quality, long enjoyed by the world's biggest automaker.

Separately, the company has told dealers in the United States it is preparing to repair the brakes on thousands of Prius vehicles there, according to an e-mail sent by a company executive. It was unclear whether Toyota planned a formal U.S. recall.