TOKYO/DETROIT, Feb. 9 (Reuters) – Toyota Motor Corp. said it is recalling nearly half a million of its flagship Prius and other hybrid cars for braking problems as it seeks to address criticism over the handling of its worst safety crisis.

The world's largest automaker is under fire for two other recalls covering more than 8 million vehicles worldwide due to problems with slipping floormats and sticky accelerator pedals.

It is also facing a potential rush of litigation for crashes linked to those problems and blamed for 19 deaths and numerous injuries in the United States over the past decade.

Chastised by US safety authorities and members of the Obama administration for moving too slowly on those recalls, Toyota said President Akio Toyoda and Executive Vice President Shinichi Sasaki, in charge of quality, would hold a media briefing at 3:30 p.m. (0630 GMT) in Tokyo regarding the recall.

Documents from Toyota and seen by Reuters showed it was recalling a total of 436,000 units of its 2010 Prius, Sai, Prius PHV (plug-in hybrid), and Lexus HS250h hybrids globally.

The recall covers 223,000 vehicles in Japan and 150,000 in North America.

''Toyota has been, beyond any doubts, the top player in hybrid car segment, and the fact that Prius and other hybrid models will be part of this massive recall significantly dents its image,'' said Suh Sung-moon, an analyst at Korea Investment & Securities in Seoul.

The fallout would likely help the likes of Korea's Hyundai Motor, which is set to launch its first hybrid model in the United States later this year, he added. The new Prius is sold in some 60 countries, with cumulative sales of almost 350,000 units.