Toyota recalls another 428,000 cars

Toyota is recalling 412,000 passenger cars, mostly the Avalon model, in the United States, and another 16,420 vehicles in Japan for steering problems, the automaker said Thursday.

The 373,000 Avalons being recalled in the United States range from the 2000 model year through to 2004 and have improper casting of the steering lock bar - a component for the steering system - causing cracks to develop on the surface.

In some cases, the crack can cause the lock bar to break, potentially leading to a crash if the steering wheel locks, the world's No 1 automaker by car sales said.

No injuries have been reported from the accidents that may be caused by the defect, it said.

Recalled in Japan for a similar problem are 6,750 vehicles, called Pronard, built from February 2000 through January 2004, Toyota and the Japanese transport ministry said.

There have been three reported problems linked to the defect but no accidents in Japan, the ministry said.

Also being recalled in the US are 39,000 Lexus luxury model LX 470s for the 2003-2007 model years because of a steering shaft problem, which is different from the Avalon steering problem, according to Toyota.

That problem affects 9,670 vehicles in Japan, including two Land Cruiser models, the ministry said. One problem has been reported, but no accidents are suspected of being linked to the defect, it said.

The latest recall comes on top of some 8.5 million vehicles that have been recalled around the world by Toyota Motor Corp since October for a spate of problems, including faulty floor mats, defective gas pedals and braking software glitches.

AP