Toyota to recall 1.66 million Avalon, other cars

TOKYO (Reuters) – Toyota Motor Corp said on Thursday it would repair 1.66 million Avalon and other vehicles, mostly in Japan and the United States, in the latest large-scale recall to plague the world's biggest automaker.

The announcement came less than two months after a recall in Canada and the United States of 1.3 million Corolla and Matrix cars carrying defective engine control modules that could cause the vehicles to stall.

Toyota had already recalled over 10 million vehicles in the past year, mostly for unintended acceleration, denting its reputation for quality and attracting intense scrutiny from U.S. safety regulators.

Toyota said it would recall 740,000 Avalon, Highlander, Lexus GS300, IS250 and IS350 cars in the United States to replace a brake master cylinder seal because there was a possibility that some brake fluid could leak from the cylinder, causing the brake warning lamp to light up.

In Japan, Toyota is recalling about 600,000 vehicles spanning 11 models including the high-end Crown sedan, either for the master cylinder seal or defective fuel pump wiring or both. It is recalling 60,000 vehicles in China.

Toyota will decide whether to file an official recall in other markets in line with safety regulations in each market, Tokyo-based spokesman Paul Nolasco said. The cars subject to those repairs -- totaling 1.53 million -- are sold worldwide, including in Europe, South America, Africa and Oceania.

In a separate case, Toyota said it was recalling 134,000 Crown and Reiz sedans in China to fix a faulty component in the rear disk brakes that could rust and affect the cars' braking performance.

No accidents were reported from the three defects, Toyota said. Toyota does not disclose estimates for recall costs, and had no comment on whether the repairs would have any impact on its earnings.

Toyota has blamed at least part of the quality slip over the past year on its rapid expansion during the past decade, when it overtook General Motors Co as the world's top-selling car maker.

GM had its share of big recalls this year. In March, it announced a recall of 1.3 million compact cars, and another one three months later for 1.5 million trucks and cars.

Toyota's shares, which have grown largely immune to recall news, ended up 0.4 percent at 2,900 yen in Tokyo. Other Japanese automakers' shares and the broader market fell on Thursday.