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Scripps cost-cutting, AI integration is latest effort to grow earnings

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Scripps cost-cutting, AI integration is latest effort to grow earnings

FILE PHOTO: E.W. Scripps Co. signage is displayed on a monitor on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., on Friday, June 3, 2016.

Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images

E.W. Scripps is setting into motion what it calls a transformation plan for the broadcast station company — intended to generate growth for both earnings and its local TV stations.

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The company announced Wednesday that it’s targeting growth of between $125 million and $150 million in annual enterprise earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization by 2028. In order to get there, Scripps will go through a number of cost savings and revenue growth measures that lean on technology, namely artificial intelligence, CNBC can exclusively report.

“This will essentially be a reorienting of the entire company … with a much more agile and efficient cost structure,” CEO Adam Symson said in an interview with CNBC. “We have to act like a media startup. We’ve got to act like the company E.W. founded, because the marketplace cannot bear the legacy pace or legacy thinking.”

The company plans to outline more details about its efforts during its next earnings call with investors on Feb. 26, but Symson described making changes to the newsroom to alleviate journalists from administrative tasks and to focus more on gathering and reporting the news.

The company declined to comment on specific impacts to staffing as a result of the cost cutting, saying potential effects to jobs would be determined over the next several months.

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“Everything is on the table, but our goal is to always preserve the journalism and the sales, the two things that make up our customer relationship,” said Symson.

Scripps owns more than 60 local affiliate broadcast stations across 40 markets, including Ion, which has become a broadcaster of the WNBA and other pro sports games.

The company’s stock has dropped 70% in the last five years, a decline not unlike many of its media peers.

The revitalization for the almost 150-year-old Scripps comes as the company — as well as the broadcast industry at large — finds itself at a historically challenging moment.

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The broadcast station industry — which also includes publicly traded companies like Nexstar Media Group, Tegna, Sinclair and Gray Media — faces the same challenges as its cable and content studio peers, namely the defection of pay TV bundle subscribers for streaming alternatives.

As a result, the industry has been in pursuit of consolidation as it awaits key regulatory changes. Scripps itself has been an M&A target, with Sinclair recently making a hostile approach to merge with the company. Scripps has rejected such overtures.

Meanwhile, media outlets across print, digital and TV have been in the midst of massive layoffs in the last year. Paramount Skydance has cut thousands of jobs across the company, including at its CBS News, and most recently The Washington Post reportedly told staffers it would eliminate a third of its newsroom jobs.

The rise of AI has also fueled fears about mass layoffs, especially in newsrooms.

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In 2024 Scripps announced the creation of an AI team that would report to Laura Tomlin, Scripps’ chief transformation officer. Symson said her first order of business has been to “consolidate technology from across the company.”

Symson said Scripps’ move to implement new technology is not meant to replace journalism jobs with AI, but instead help newsrooms work more efficiently and ensure a long runway for local news.

“This cannot be a cost-cutting exercise in service to incrementally trying to improve margins from cutting product. That has proven to be the beginning of the end,” said Symson. “This really has to be about starting with our consumer understanding, what it is they need out of us, both from our news product as well as our sales product.”

Transformation efforts

This week, Symson gathered 200 leaders from across the company at Scripps’ headquarters in Cincinnati to outline the latest plan, which will be announced more broadly on Wednesday to Scripps employees and investors.

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The company will also reaffirm its most recent earnings guidance, noting it expects its 2026 financial performance to be lifted by midterm elections — local broadcast stations rely heavily on political advertising — as well as the airing of the Winter Olympics and upcoming World Cup on its affiliates this year.

Harini Logan, 14, from San Antonio, Texas, receives the trophy from Scripps CEO Adam Symson after winning the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee held at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, U.S., June 2, 2022. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Jonathan Ernst | Reuters

This transformation, with the vision tagline, “We Create Connection,” is the latest step in recent years for Scripps to find new avenues of revenue growth.

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“Scripps’ transformation effort is not unique, per se. Everyone in the space is cutting costs,” said analyst Dan Kurnos of Benchmark in a recent interview. “Last we checked, broadcast TV wasn’t the most rapidly growing segment of the media ecosystem. It’s just not as bad as cable.”

During a November earnings call with investors, Symson teased further initiatives the team has been working on, calling out its focus on “expense management.”

For the local media division, Scripps said its third-quarter expenses had decreased more than 4% year over year and the networks business saw expenses drop 7.5%, both due in part to “lower employee-related costs.”

Yet Kurnos said that Scripps has deviated from its peers with other moves, such as growing Scripps Sports with local media rights. Scripps’ networks now have the rights to air WNBA games, and the company has also been picking up the rights to NHL teams exiting their regional sports networks.

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“I think Scripps has been forced to reinvent themselves a few times,” Kurnos told CNBC.

President and CEO of E. W. Scripps Company, Adam Symson poses for a photo with WNBA Commissioner, Cathy Engelbert.

Courtesy: Scripps

While Scripps has rejected a merger with Sinclair, the company has been doing smaller deals on its own, such as offloading stations and a station swap with Gray Media, which is still pending approval. This week the company also agreed to sell its Court TV network for less than $125 million, according to a person familiar with the matter who declined to be identified speaking about internal matters.

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Symson acknowledged the need for consolidation as the industry forges ahead into a new era. But he fell short of saying it was a necessity, at least for Scripps, as some of his peers have said on recent public calls.

“Responsible consolidation is important for the industry, without question. But make no mistake about it, it is financial engineering,” said Symson. “It will create a tail wind for our business that investors should appreciate, and we will go after it, but it will not create the organic growth that we are talking about here.”  

Symson’s history at Scripps runs deep and began in the newsroom. He started at the company as an executive producer of investigations and special projects at a Scripps-owned affiliate in Phoenix before joining the corporate parent in 2003 and taking over as CEO in 2017.

The latest transformation efforts follow similar shifts in 2023, when Scripps eliminated some anchor roles, added reporters in smaller markets and increased reporters’ wages, among other changes.

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“It is very personal to me. I think at this point, I’m the only CEO of a broadcast company that comes from a journalism background and from the newsroom,” said Symson. “What we do is too important for us to not go on the offense and aggressively transform the company in order to ensure that we’re a company that continues to thrive.”

Disclosure: CNBC parent Versant is carrying NBC Sports-produced Olympic coverage on its networks, including USA Network and CNBC.

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Apura Ingredients names new business development manager

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Apura Ingredients names new business development manager

Leo Aguado joins the company.

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10 Things You Must Know About America’s Freestyle Skiing Sprint Sensation

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Jaelin Kauf

Jaelin Kauf didn’t just ski; she attacked. On a day where the defending Olympic champion, Jakara Anthony, faltered under the immense pressure of the Italian Alps, Kauf remained a picture of technical violence and speed. Clocking the fastest time of the day at 24.88 seconds, Kauf’s aggressive line through the bumps and her signature “cork 720” aerial secured her a score of 80.77, second only to her teammate’s historic gold-medal run.

Jaelin Kauf
Jaelin Kauf

With this performance, Kauf becomes the first American woman to win back-to-back Olympic silver medals in moguls. Here are 10 essential facts you need to know about Jaelin Kauf’s incredible journey and today’s historic victory.

1. The 2026 Silver Medal & The “U.S. Sweep”

Today’s final in Livigno was the first time in Olympic history that two American women finished in the top two spots in freestyle skiing. Kauf’s silver, paired with Elizabeth Lemley’s gold, cemented a new era of American dominance. Despite being the veteran of the team, Kauf’s raw speed remained unmatched, forcing her younger rivals to push their technical limits just to keep pace.

2. Back-to-Back Olympic Silver (2022 & 2026)

Kauf has now matched her Silver Medal from the Beijing 2022 Games. In Beijing, she was the first American to medal in those Games, breaking a long drought for the U.S. moguls team. Her consistency across two vastly different Olympic cycles—one defined by COVID-19 isolation and the other by the roaring crowds of Italy—proves she is a generational talent.

3. “Robo-Kauf” Genetics: Born into Ski Royalty

Jaelin’s prowess is in her blood. Her parents, Scott Kauf and Patti Sherman-Kauf, were both professional mogul champions in the 1980s and 90s. Scott, nicknamed “Robo-Kauf” for his mechanical precision, was a five-time World Pro Mogul Tour champion. Patti was a three-time champion and an X-Games medalist in skicross. Unlike the Beijing Games, her parents were in the stands today in Livigno to watch her take silver in person.

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4. The Fastest Woman on the World Cup Circuit

Kauf is universally recognized as the fastest woman on the moguls circuit. While many skiers focus on “absorbing” bumps to stay technical, Kauf “skis like a sprinter.” Her ability to maintain control while carrying unprecedented speed into the bottom air section is what separates her from the field and makes her the “time-score” benchmark for every competition.

5. The Dominant 2024–2025 “Triple Crown” Season

Leading up to these Olympics, Kauf had the best season of her career. In 2025, she became the first American since Hannah Kearney (2015) to win all three FIS Crystal Globes: the Moguls globe, the Dual Moguls globe, and the Overall Freestyle globe. She won 8 of 16 World Cup events last season, doubling her career win total in a single calendar year.

6. 2025 Dual Moguls World Champion

In March 2025, Kauf finally broke her “silver streak” at major championships by winning the Gold Medal in Dual Moguls at the FIS Freestyle World Championships in St. Moritz. This victory established her as the heavy favorite for the newest Olympic discipline.

7. Education: The University of Utah

While competing at the highest level, Kauf has been pursuing a degree in Environmental and Sustainable Studies at the University of Utah. She has used her platform to advocate for climate action through organizations like Protect Our Winters, highlighting the direct threat rising temperatures pose to the mountain communities she calls home.

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8. The “Deliver the Love” Philosophy

Glued to the back of Kauf’s helmet is her personal motto: “Deliver the Love.” It serves as a reminder to prioritize the joy of skiing over the crushing pressure of the podium. After her run today, she embraced Elizabeth Lemley, personifying the mentorship and sportsmanship she has brought to the U.S. Ski Team for over a decade.

9. Technical Mastery: The Signature Cork 720

In today’s final, Kauf’s “top air” was a high-consequence cork 720 (two full rotations while off-axis), a trick that once gave her trouble in earlier qualifiers. Her ability to nail the landing and immediately transition back into a high-speed mogul line is why she remains a “judging favorite” for both air and turns.

10. The Mission Isn’t Over: Dual Moguls Debut

While the individual event is finished, Jaelin Kauf’s 2026 Olympic story has one chapter left. On Saturday, February 14, she will compete in the Olympic debut of Dual Moguls. As the reigning World Champion in this head-to-head format, Kauf is the odds-on favorite to finally secure the one thing missing from her trophy case: Olympic Gold.

Milano Cortina 2026: Women’s Moguls Final Results (Feb 11)

Rank Athlete Country Score
1 (Gold) Elizabeth Lemley USA 82.30
2 (Silver) Jaelin Kauf USA 80.77
3 (Bronze) Perrine Laffont FRA 78.00
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Children’s camp – how to choose?

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Singapore is a bustling city filled with opportunities for learning and exploration. Unique scientific Holiday camp in Singapore is held in the city, offering children of all ages a chance to explore the wonders of science and technology.

The camp provides a unique opportunity for children to learn about the world around them. Participants are encouraged to take part in various activities and experiments, giving them a hands-on experience of the scientific concepts they are taught.

How’s it going?

The camp is organized by a team of experienced teachers and scientists, all of whom have an extensive knowledge of the subjects they teach. They make sure that the children understand the concepts and apply them in their day-to-day lives. The camp also provides a platform for students to interact with each other and learn from each other.

The camp has a range of activities to suit all interests. These include field trips to Singapore’s natural habitats, such as the rainforest and the mangroves. Students also get to take part in educational workshops, where they can learn about the science behind the natural environment.

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What are the benefits of camp for children?

In addition to the field trips, the camp also offers a range of interactive activities, such as building robots and creating coding projects. These activities are designed to stimulate the imagination and encourage creative thinking. They also provide the perfect opportunity for children to explore their own talents and interests.

The camp also offers a range of social activities, such as sports, art, and music. These activities are designed to help children develop their social skills and make new friends.

The camp is a great way for children to experience the wonders of science and technology in a fun and safe environment. It is also a great way for them to learn about the world around them and develop their own skills and interests.

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In addition to these advantages, there are other important benefits such as:

  • A scientific camp for children helps them to think outside of the box and come up with creative solutions to problems. It also encourages them to think critically about the world around them and develop their own ideas.
  • Scientific camps for children are a great way for children to meet other like-minded children and make new friends.
  • Many scientific camps for children include field trips to explore the natural environment, giving children a hands-on experience of the concepts they are taught. It also provides a platform for students to interact with each other and learn from each other.

What are the conclusions?

Overall, scientific camps for children are a great way to introduce them to the wonders of science and technology. They provide a safe and fun environment for children to explore and learn about the world around them. They also teach children about the history and culture of their country, help them to develop their social skills, and give them the opportunity to make new friends.

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Cardiff Parkway train station project expected to secure major UK Government funding boost

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Engineering giant Rolls-Royce has appraised the scheme’s business park element as ticking all the right boxes for a major hub with the potential to create thousands of high-skilled jobs

An artist's rendering of a modern train station featuring a spacious platform with individuals walking and a glass-enclosed pedestrian bridge connecting the station to another structure. Various trains are depicted, some arriving and others departing.

(Image: Wilkinson Eyre)

The planned Cardiff Parkway new mainline train station at St Mellons in Cardiff is expected to secure a major boost from the UK Government.

The project, which secured planning permission last year from the Welsh Government, would be integrated into a business park that, over the long term, could see around 900,000sq ft of new employment space built – with the potential to support thousands of new jobs.

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The funding is expected to be additional to the £445m announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her three-year spending review last summer, which takes effect from April, for rail enhancement projects in Wales.

The Chancellor also referred to the Parkway project, although without a funding commitment, in her Budget back in November and again a month later at the Welsh Government’s Investment Summit.

In the spending review the UK Government in comparison has set aside £1bn towards development work for rail enhancement projects in the north of England, which over the long-term is expected to see investment of £45bn.

The Parkway announcement is expected to be confirmed alongside publication of Transport for Wales’ new vision document, endorsed by the Wales Rail Board, which will outline a pipeline of rail enhancement projects seeking further UK Government funding.

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It is understood that the vision document, which was expected to published later this week, has been pushed back a few weeks. Projects included will be the removal of level crossings to speed up train times on the North Wales Mainline, increased services from Wrexham to Liverpool, and further phases of the South Wales Metro, where the £1.1bn electrification of the Core Valley Lines is close to completion.

Further investment is need to ensure four services per hour (currently just two) on the most densely populated parts of the network on the Coryton and City Lines that run through Cardiff.

READ MORE: Largest ever number of renewable projects in Wales backed in UK Goverment auction roundREAD MORE: Admiral invests in fund backing growth of UK mid-market firms

The Cardiff Parkway project is being driven by Cardiff Parkway Developments, which is owned by financial services giant Investec, the Roberts family and the Welsh Government, which has a minority 10% interest.

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Due to the protracted time it took the Welsh Government to make a favourable planning decision – for which a number of previous ministers had little appetite to see approved – the cost of the train station element and required rail corridor investment has increased from the initial projection.

Work is still required on the final design of the station, as well as confirmation of the number of trains that could call there.

The station would serve some of the most deprived communities not only in Cardiff, but across Wales, including Trowbridge, Rhymney, Llanrumney and St Mellons.

The funding required for the train station and related road and utility infrastructure to serve the business park – where buildings would be developed on a pre-let basis – is around £180m.

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Transport for Wales (TfW) would take a long lease to run the station, with a privately funded securitisation deal against future rents providing upfront capital. TfW’s leasing costs would be covered by increased rail ticket sales and car parking income.

More detailed work is required to assess the number of trains that could stop at the station, which in turn would impact car parking offset income.

For the business park element, as the site is included in the Cardiff and Newport UK Government-backed investment zone, some of the required infrastructure could be financed through tax increment financing.

This allows borrowing against future business rates generated by new companies attracted to the park.

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Unlike investment zones in England where 100% of business rates are retained for further investment, the Welsh Government intends to keep half of the rates raised.

The zone will be overseen by the Cardiff Capital Region.

A simpler funding model for Parkway Station would be for Network Rail to take over ownership of the station itself, or potentially for Transport for Wales (TfW) to do so as a devolved asset.

This would allow Cardiff Parkway Developments to focus on attracting new investment into the integrated business park.

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There is already strong interest from engineering giant Rolls-Royce, which has appraised the site as ticking all the right boxes for a potential new hub investment that could create thousands of high-skilled jobs.

It has appraised Parkway’s planned business park positively due to its own train station, access to a skilled workforce, nine universities across south Wales and the west of England, and the security afforded by a 200-acre site with close rail proximity to both Cardiff and Bristol.

The company has already established a satellite office at a nearby business park in St Mellons for its Submarines division, which will eventually create 200 jobs.

While it continues to assess the site for further investment, clarity around the station would only strengthen the case for a hub development.

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Of the £445m announced last year by the Chancellor for rail enhancement projects, £90m is allocated for development work to build cases for further investment.

It also includes £77.87m from the Department for Transport for the upgrade of Cardiff Central Station.

The remainder of the cost, despite it being a non-devolved rail asset, will be funded by the Welsh Government and the Cardiff Capital Region. This leaves only around £300m from the spending review allocation for Wales.

The planned Burns stations between Cardiff and the Severn Tunnel – recommended by the Lord Burns Commission, set up by the Welsh Government after it decided not to proceed with the £1bn M4 Relief Road – have an estimated cost of around £70m each (with Magor expected to be lower).

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As a result, there is insufficient funding to deliver all of the Burns stations, let alone other projects.

However, an announcement on Parkway would be a step in the right direction, although it would need to be followed by further fundingcommitments from the UK Government.

Speaking recently to the Senedd’s Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee, TfW chairman Vernon Everitt said the current spending review envelope of £445m for rail projects in Wales needs to be built on significantly.

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Kraft Heinz hits pause on separation

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Kraft Heinz hits pause on separation

New CEO pivoting away from previously announced plan. 

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Delinquencies in commercial mortgage-backed securities rise

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Delinquencies in commercial mortgage-backed securities rise

Key Points

  • Delinquencies in commercial mortgage-backed securities rose again in January, up 17 basis points from December to 7.47%, according to Trepp.
  • The increase was driven by the beleaguered office sector, which has a lot of distressed properties to work through but is seeing improvements in fundamentals.
  • The rate increase was driven by two exceptionally large New York City properties: Worldwide Plaza and One New York Plaza. 

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Oatly loses ‘milk’ branding battle in UK Supreme Court

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Oatly loses ‘milk’ branding battle in UK Supreme Court

Plant-based drinks maker Oatly has lost a long-running legal fight over its use of the word “milk” in marketing, after the UK Supreme Court ruled that it cannot trademark or use the slogan “post-milk generation” in connection with dairy alternatives.

The case, brought by Dairy UK, centred on whether the term “milk”, which is protected under EU-derived food labelling rules still in force in the UK, can be used in a trade mark for plant-based products.

On Wednesday, the UK Supreme Court upheld an earlier Court of Appeal ruling that “milk” is a reserved term that can only refer to animal-derived products. Judges said the phrase “post-milk generation” could confuse consumers about whether Oatly’s products were entirely milk-free or merely contained reduced levels of dairy.

The decision reinstates the original position of the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO), which had refused Oatly’s 2021 trade mark application.

Oatly’s UK and Ireland general manager, Bryan Carroll, criticised the outcome, calling it “a way to stifle competition” that creates “an uneven playing field for plant-based products that solely benefits Big Dairy”.

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Under the ruling, Oatly must cancel its UK trade mark registration for “POST MILK GENERATION” and cannot use the phrase to market dairy-free alternatives. However, because the regulation applies only to food products, the company is still permitted to sell pre-existing merchandise such as T-shirts bearing the slogan.

The dispute reflects a broader regulatory framework under which certain food designations, including milk, cheese, butter and yoghurt, are legally reserved for animal-derived products. Although the UK has left the EU, the relevant regulation continues to apply as “assimilated law”.

Richard May, partner at law firm Osborne Clarke, said the ruling confirms the UK’s alignment with EU standards. “The key principle is straightforward: if a product is not derived from animal milk, it cannot be marketed using reserved dairy designations such as ‘milk’ or ‘cheese’,” he said.

Laurie Bray, senior associate and trade mark attorney at Withers & Rogers, said the judgment was decisive. “It has taken the highest court in the land to decide once and for all whether a plant-based milk alternative can be branded as ‘milk’. The outcome is not what Oatly was hoping for,” she said.

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Bray added that the ruling may prompt Dairy UK or its European counterparts to challenge Oatly’s EU trade mark registrations covering similar wording.

The case comes amid growing debate across Europe over the labelling of plant-based foods. Last year, the European Parliament voted to tighten rules on the use of terms such as “oat milk” and “veggie burger”, although the measures have yet to be formally adopted.

European farming groups argue that such terms mislead consumers and dilute established product definitions. Environmental campaigners and alternative protein producers, by contrast, have warned that overly restrictive labelling harms innovation and sustainability goals.

For UK plant-based brands, the Supreme Court’s decision sends a clear signal. While factual descriptors such as “dairy-free” remain permissible, the use of protected dairy terminology in branding or trade marks is likely to face legal challenge.

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The ruling marks the end of a protracted dispute for Oatly, and underscores how regulatory definitions can shape the fast-growing plant-based food and drink market.

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FAA abruptly lifts order halting El Paso airport flights for 10 days

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FAA abruptly lifts order halting El Paso airport flights for 10 days

El Paso International Airport

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The Federal Aviation Administration abruptly grounded all flights in and out of El Paso International Airport in Texas for 10 days starting Wednesday, citing “special security” instructions, and then lifted the order hours later.

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“The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted,” the FAA said in a post on X. “There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal.”

The FAA didn’t immediately say what the security reasons for the temporary sudden halt were. The airport sits next to Biggs Army Airfield and is near the Mexican border, about 12 miles from Juarez, Mexico. The Pentagon referred a question about the nature of the security issue to the FAA.

Flights were initially halted until late Feb. 20 and the ban applied to a 10-nautical-mile area around the airport.

While the FAA regularly halts flights at airports for weather and traffic, a security issue is highly unusual as is an effective airspace closure for this long.

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U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Texas Democrat whose district includes much of El Paso, said the move to suddenly close airspace was “unprecedented” and said that “what my office and I have been able to gather overnight and early this morning, there is no immediate threat to the community or surrounding areas.”

“There was no advance notice provided to my office, the City of El Paso, or anyone involved in airport operations,” she said in a statement. “We have urged the FAA to immediately lift the Temporary Flight Restrictions placed on the El Paso area.”

EL PASO, TEXAS – DECEMBER 25: A sign at the El Paso International Airport (ELP) on December 25, 2025 in El Paso, Texas.

Kirby Lee | Getty Images News | Getty Images

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The airport served nearly 3.5 million people in the first 11 months of 2025 and is served by Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines and Frontier Airlines, according to airport data.

There were 1,314 departures scheduled for the El Paso airport this month, according to aviation-data firm Cirium.

United waived change fees for customers who need to move their flights because of the airspace closure. Southwest said it has reached out to affected travelers.

“Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of its Customers and Employees,” it said.

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Toyota recalls 141,000 Prius hybrids over dangerous rear door defect

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Toyota recalls 141,000 Prius hybrids over dangerous rear door defect

Toyota is recalling around 141,000 Prius and Prius Prime vehicles after discovering that rear doors can unexpectedly open while the car is moving, according to a newly filed report from the Department of Transportation.

The recall covers 2023–2026 Toyota Prius models, 2023–2024 Prius Prime vehicles and 2025–2026 Prius Plug-In Hybrid models sold in the U.S.

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The issue stems from an electric rear door lock system that can malfunction if water gets inside a door switch, potentially causing a short circuit. Under certain conditions, the rear door may unlatch if it is not locked.

The North American International Auto Show

The 2024 Toyota Prius Prime on display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan. (Adam J. Dewey/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

If that were to happen while driving, the door could open, increasing the risk of injury to occupants, particularly rear-seat passengers, Toyota said. If the switch activates while the vehicle is in motion, a warning notification may appear on the dashboard and a buzzer may sound to alert the driver.

BMW RECALLS NEARLY 90,000 VEHICLES OVER ENGINE STARTER FIRE RISK

It’s not clear how many vehicles may contain the defective part, but Toyota said it confirmed the issue following internal testing and a reported incident overseas. 

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The company said it is not aware of any related injuries or crashes in the U.S. tied to the defect.

Opening Day Of The 2023 New York International Auto Show

The recall covers 2023–2026 Toyota Prius models, 2023–2024 Prius Prime vehicles and 2025–2026 Prius Plug-In Hybrid models sold in the U.S. (Stephanie Keith/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Toyota dealers will modify the left and right rear door switch circuits to prevent the switch from activating, even if it is shorted. The repair will be performed free of charge.

Toyota Motor New Prius Test Drive

Toyota said it is not aware of any related injuries or crashes in the U.S. tied to the defect. (Nicholas Takahashi/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Owners of impacted vehicles will be notified in late March, the company said. Otherwise, owners can visit Toyota.com/recall or nhtsa.gov/recalls and enter their vehicle identification number (VIN) or license plate information.

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