Toyota Will Recall an Additional 270,000 Vehicles

Toyota Motor Corporation is recalling 270,000 Lexus and other vehicles around the world to remedy flawed engines in the most recent quality oversight at the number-one automaker in the world.

Defects in the valve springs, a critical component of the engine, may cause the vehicles to stall while in motion, Hideaki Homma, a Toyota spokesperson, said Friday during the announcement of the recall.

Mark Templin, general manager for Lexus, reported that contaminated materials were used to produce the valve springs during the manufacturing process.

In Japan, Toyota has gotten roughly 200 complaints about faulty engines but has received no reports of accidents or injuries in any country, Homma reported. A few drivers have told Toyota that their engines emit unusual noises.

The worldwide recall started yesterday and includes seven Lexus luxury sedans in addition to the best-selling Crown, Toyota spokesperson Paul Nolasco said. Of the 270,000 recalled vehicles, about 180,000 were sold abroad, including the United States, and approximately 90,000 were sold in Japan.

The carmaker was already frantically trying to repair its image after recalling 8.5 million vehicles starting in October due to issues with sticking gas pedals and other problems.

The United States government hit Toyota with a $16.4 million penalty for responding too slowly to recall cars with defects.

On Friday, Japan’s largest daily Asahi said the most recent recall of 270,000 vehicles may cost Toyota about 20 billion yen, or $227 million. Toyota could not verify the story, which cited no sources.

Yesterday, Toyota informed the transport ministry of Japan that it will recall 90,000 vehicles in the country. Nolasco stated that it was uncertain how many vehicles would be included in the United States recall, and the automaker will begin acting in overseas markets as early as next week.

On Thursday, Lexus announced that up to 137,000 vehicles may be impacted by the engine problems in the United States.

Ryoichi Saito, a car analyst from the Mizuho Investors Securities Co. Ltd., believes the most recent recall is unlikely to harm Toyota.

“It is clear that Toyota has learned a lesson from the recall disaster. The company has acted very swiftly to deal with problems," Saito stated.

Toyota dealerships have fixed millions of vehicles after huge global recalls, but the carmaker is still dealing with over 200 lawsuits resulting from defect-related accidents, the depressed resale value of Toyota cars, and the plummeting price of the automaker’s stock.