Toyota is recalling 160,000 Prius gasoline-electric hybrid cars worldwide because their engines can stop due to an electrical problem, Japan’s top automaker said Friday.

No accidents or injuries have been reported to be linked to the problem, in which engines in some Prius cars have stalled while driving, causing the vehicles to run just on the electric motor, Toyota Motor Corp. spokesman Hideki Fujii said.

A glitch in computer programming that controls the electronic units is believed to be behind the problem, he said.

The recall covers 75,000 Prius cars in the United States, 70,000 in Japan and the remainder in Europe, Australia and other markets, that were manufactured from August 2003 through February 2005.

Toyota is not disclosing its recall costs, Fujii said. Toyota dealers will repair affected vehicles for free.

Toyota, which started selling the Prius in 1997, sold 125,700 Prius vehicles globally last year.