Toyota recalls 246,000 vehicles

Toyota recalls 246,000 vehicles

Associated Press, Tokyo

Top Japanese automaker Toyota Motor said on Tuesday it will
recall 246,592 vehicles in Japan, including Crown sedan and Hiace
van models, produced between 1998 and 2005, due to possible
corrosion of parts in the engine.

Toyota Motor Corp. spokesman Hideki Fujii said the company is
considering whether to recall about 1.05 million vehicles of the
same models exported to overseas markets, including Australia,
Thailand, Indonesia, India and European countries.

None of the models involved were exported to the United States
and Canada, Fujii said.

The surface of a bolt in the engine will erode due to the
remaining cleansing liquid, breaking the bolt and causing the
vehicle to halt, according to Toyota's Web site.

Fujii said the company is now looking into safety standards of
importing countries of the Toyota models affected because of
different recall systems by country.

Toyota, Japan's largest automaker and the world's second
biggest after General Motors Corp. of the United States, reported
169 complaints from Japanese users, including their vehicles
stopping, unusual noise and vibration, but there were no reports
of accidents related to the defect, according to Transport
Ministry spokesman Naoto Takano.

Fujii said the company did not disclose repair estimates.

Last month, Toyota announced its largest recall ever, totaling
1.27 million vehicles from 17 car models, to repair an electrical
defect that could cause the headlights to fail.

Models in the recall included Toyota's popular Crown, Mark II
Chaser Cresta, Hilux van models and Dyna truck models.