Toyota recall of 1.7 million vehicles shows quality issues linger

Toyota recalls 1.7 million cars due to fuel leaks

Japanese carmaker Toyota's list of safety and quality control missteps is still growing as it recalled 1.7 million cars worldwide on Wednesday due to fuel leaks.

Most of the vehicles affected are in Japan, but Lexus IS and GS cars in the North American market are also part of the recall. About 1.3 million vehicles in Japan are covered by the recall.

In the United States, where Toyota once enjoyed a sterling reputation for quality, car dealers will be inspecting vehicles for faulty fuel pressure sensors. Toyota clarified that the decision was a precautionary move and there have been no accidents caused by fuel leaks.

The company said they had received more than 140 complaints in Japan and 75 reports in North America.

The Toyota recall is the latest in a series of massive recalls made by the company starting in 2009. The total number of vehicles affected from all those recalls now total more than 12 million vehicles. Among the most notable problems were gas pedals that got stuck and caused vehicles to suddenly accelerate.

Toyota had to withdraw eight models from the U.S. market because of the acceleration problems with the move affecting some 60 percent of its sales lineup in the country.

The automaker's sullied reputation in the U.S. was reflected in the low sales of its vehicles in 2010 despite a recovery by the automobile sector there.

In an effort to respond to customer complaints quicker, Toyota opened additional offices in San Francisco, New York, Houston and Jacksonville, Florida. A Denver office is also set to open by the end of this quarter, Toyota said.

Posted by Sophia Andrews on Thursday January 27 2011, 3:52 AM EDT. Ref: AP. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Travel. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0