"Nothing is more important to us than the safety and reliability of our vehicles," said Bob Carter, general manager of Toyota's U.S. sales operation, adding that the automaker has already repaired 220,000 of the 2.3 million vehicles affected by its recent recall to address faulty accelerator pedals.

"If a customer experiences a pedal issue, they should contact a dealer," Carter said. "If not, we're confident they're safe."

Carter said Toyota dealers will get a software update to fix the antilock brakes in Prius hybrids later month.

A similar repair to brakes in the Lexus HS 250h hybrid will be available soon, he said.

The 2011 Avalon will feature a new pedal assembly developed to remedy that problem and an electronic brake system required to fix Toyota's earlier recall, which accounts for about 5 million other vehicles.

The next Avalon, the Toyota brand's largest car, is to go on sale this spring. Other safety features will include seven air bags.