Toyota recalls 1.7m vehicles

Toyota recalled nearly 1.7 million cars worldwide Wednesday for fuel leaks, the latest in a ballooning number of quality problems that could add another dent to its tarnished reputation in the crucial United States market.

Toyota's latest recalls are mostly in Japan, but they also include the IS and GS Lexus luxury models in North America, where the world's No. 1 automaker faces the biggest obstacles to winning back customer trust.

There were no accidents suspected of being related to the latest recall, according to Toyota. The carmaker said it had received 77 complaints overseas, 75 of them in North America, and more than 140 in Japan.

Koji Endo, auto analyst with Advanced Research Japan Co in Tokyo, said the latest recall will cost Toyota about yen20 billion (US$240 million), and that won't hurt its earnings performance by much.

"But there is that perception of here we go again, and that hurts Toyota's image, especially in North America," he said.

In one of the problems announced Wednesday, an improper installation of a sensor to measure fuel pressure may cause the sensor to loosen as a result of engine vibration over time, and possibly cause fuel leakage, the company said. That problem also affects 280,000 Lexus cars sold abroad, 255,000 of them in North America and 10,000 in Europe.

Included under that recall are the 2006 through 2007 Lexus GS300/350, 2006 through early 2009 Lexus IS250, and 2006 through early 2008 Lexus IS350 sold in the US.

Lexus dealers will inspect the vehicles for fuel leakage and will tighten the fuel pressure sensor with the proper torque, if nothing is leaking. If a leak is confirmed, the gasket between the sensor and the delivery pipe will be replaced, it said.

That same problem was also found in the Crown and Mark X models sold in Japan.

The second problem, which affects 141,000 Avensis sedans and station wagons sold in Europe, and New Zealand, was caused by irregular work on the fuel pipe, which may cause cracks and fuel leakage, Toyota said.

That problem was also found in 16 models sold in Japan, including the Noah subcompact, RAV4 sport-utility vehicle and Wish cars.

The largest number of the affected vehicles was in Japan at nearly 1.3 million — the second-largest auto recall in the nation's history — and involving two different problems.

The biggest recall in Japan was in 2005, also by Toyota, when nearly 1.3 million Corolla cars were recalled for a faulty headlight switch and some other problems, according to the Japanese transport ministry.

- AP