TOKYO – Toyota is recalling 1.53 million Lexus, Avalon and other models, mostly in the U.S. and Japan, for brake fluid and fuel pump problems, the latest in a string of quality lapses for the world's No. 1 automaker.
Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday it will call back for repairs about 740,000 cars in the U.S. and 599,000 in Japan. The remainder are in Europe and other markets around the world.
Over the past year, Toyota has recalled more than 10 million cars and trucks worldwide for a variety of problems, from faulty gas pedals and floor mats that can trap accelerators, to braking problems in its Prius hybrid. In August, Toyota recalled 1.33 million Corolla sedans and Matrix hatchbacks in the U.S. and Canada because their engines may stall.
The majority of vehicles this time around need to be fixed for a problem with the brake master cylinder which could lead to weaker braking power, said spokesman Paul Nolasco in Tokyo. Some models in Japan and elsewhere — but not in North America — have an electrical problem with the fuel pump which could cause the engine to stall, he said.
No accidents have been reported from the two defects, he said.
Nolasco said the recall decision was made under Toyota's new quality control regime instituted over the last several months in response to criticism that the company was slow in dealing with the slew of safety problems earlier this year. Changes include naming a chief quality officer to head up regional quality control teams that have more autonomy and can contribute directly to decisions on whether recalls are required.
Toyota received initial complaints about both problems five years ago, but that didn't mean there was documentation of a pattern that would trigger a recall, Nolasco said.
"It takes a while to compile the evidence for a recall," Nolasco said. Once the evidence pointed to a need for a recall, the company moved quickly to announce one, he said.
Analysts said the recall decision, coming just two months after the Corolla and Matrix recall, seems to suggest that Toyota is trying to be more forthcoming about safety issues. American regulators hit Toyota with a $16.4 million fine for failing to promptly tell the government about its car defects.
"Toyota's image suffered because it was slow and so it is trying to be quick with its response," said Ryuichi Saito, auto analyst with Mizuho Investors Securities in Tokyo.
The models affected by the latest recall in the U.S. include the 2005 and 2006 Avalon, 2004 through 2006 non-hybrid Highlander and Lexus RX330, and 2006 Lexus GS300, IS250, and IS350 vehicles, the company said in a statement from its U.S. headquarters in Torrance, California.



Source (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_japan_toyota_recall)
By MALCOLM FOSTER, Associated Press Writer