Toyota recalls nearly 1.7 million vehicles

Almaty. January 26. Kazakhstan Today - Toyota is recalling nearly 1.7 million cars worldwide for various defects that may cause fuel leakage, the agency reports.

Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it was recalling a wide range of models, including the IS and GS Lexus luxury models in North America and the Avensis sedan and station wagon models in Europe, The Associated Press reports.

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

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.

The latest quality hitch comes on top of the spate of massive recalls that began in late 2009, mostly in North America and which now cover more than 12 million vehicles.

Koji Endo, auto analyst with Advanced Research Japan Co. in Tokyo, said the latest recall will cost Toyota about 20 billion yen ($240 million), but that won't dent 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.

Toyota is likely trying to be aggressive with recalls, carrying them out quickly before they turn into bigger problems, and so the latest one is not a sign that quality is taking another plunge for the worse at the automaker, Endo said.

The recalls since late 2009 include defective floor mats and gas pedals that get stuck, some of them suspected of causing unintended acceleration or runaway vehicles.

Toyota has held the spot of the world's biggest automaker in annual vehicle sales for three years straight, including last year though General Motors was close behind. But some believe that Toyota's relentless drive for growth hurt quality.

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