| Toyota was at the centre of a new safety scare yesterday when it warned that the engines of 270,000 of its cars could cut out while the vehicle is moving.
The worldwide total includes more than 3,200 of its luxury Lexus models sold in the UK.
The Japanese car giant said the cars whose engines could stall have not yet been recalled but that has not been ruled out.
Toyota has issued a string of apologies and endured months of controversy following a spate of safety scares.
A spokesman for Lexus in the UK said: ‘Improperly functioning valve springs have been found in some Lexus engines and there is a small possibility that abnormal engine noise or unstable idling may occur.
‘In very rare instances, there is a chance that the engine may stop. There have been no reported accidents related to this issue.
‘Vehicles sold in the UK that may be affected include the Lexus GS 450h, GS 460, LS 460 and LS 600h models.’
He said no vehicles sold under the Toyota brand in the UK are affected and that Lexus would ‘do whatever it can’ to ensure that customers’ inconvenience is minimised.
Since last September, Toyota has recalled more than ten million vehicles worldwide for problems related to unintended acceleration.
The problems have been linked to at least five fatal crashes in the U.S. since 2007, and have damaged Toyota’s reputation for quality.
More than 200 law suits are pending in the U.S. Toyota recalled 1.7million cars across Europe, including 280,000 in the UK because of a problem with a ‘sticky’ accelerator.
In the UK it affected the Auris, Avensis, IQ, Verso, Yaris and Aygo models, but not the Rav 4 off-roader. Toyota also recalled 50,000 Prius hybrids, including 8,000 in the UK because of an issue with the anti-lock brakes.
Toyota has already paid a record of $16.4million (£10.8million) in the U.S. for failing to act swiftly enough on a recall for acceleration problems.
But the safety scares appear to have done little to dent Toyota’s sales. Latest figures show Toyota’s June sales were up 26.7 per cent compared to a year ago.
However, concerns about further damage to its reputation and the costs of a potential recall pushed Toyota shares down by more than 2 per cent yesterday
Lexus said customers who have concerns should contact their local Lexus centre or the Lexus Customer Relations team on 01737367601 for assistance.
Toyota’s new British-built petrol-electric hybrid the Auris was yesterday named ‘green’ car of the year by WhatGreenCar magazine.
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