Fuel Leak Concerns Prompt Big Toyota Recall

(Tokyo WWJ/AP) Toyota is recalling 1.7 million vehicles worldwide, including more than a quarter of a million here in the U.S. The auto company says there are two separate issues, both involving possible fuel leaks.

All of the vehicles in the U.S. are from Toyota's Lexus luxury brand. They are 2006 through 2007 Lexus GS 300/350, 2006 through early 2009 Lexus IS 250, and 2006 through early 2008 Lexus IS 350 vehicles.

"Due to insufficient tightening of the fuel pressure sensor connected to certain engine fuel delivery pipes (those with Nickel Phosphorus plating), there is a possibility that the pressure sensor could loosen over time," read a news release from Toyota. "If loosening occurs, fuel could leak past a gasket used in the connection between the sensor and the delivery pipe and through the threaded portion of the sensor."

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.

The recall involving vehicles outside the U.S. is similar, but involves a valve on a different fuel pipe. Among other vehicles, it involves Toyota's Avensis sedan and station wagon models, sold in Europe.

1.3 million Toyota's, from 16 different models are being recalled in Japan. That's second in size only to a Toyota Corolla recall in 2005.
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 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.

Toyota has been struggling to regain its once solid reputation among buyers for producing reliable vehicles. The biggest damage to Toyota's image has been in the U.S. where its response was seen as dallying.

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.

Chief Executive Akio Toyoda, the grandson of the automaker's founder, has vowed to regain trust and be quicker in responding to customer needs.
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.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.