Toyota stops US sales of certain Lexus LS sedans to fix steering wheel problem

The world's biggest automaker, Toyota yesterday temporarily suspended all sales of certain models of its flagship Lexus luxury sedan till it finds a fix for a computerised steering wheel problem.

On 21 May, the carmaker had said that it would recall 3,800 Lexus LS 460 and LS 600h L  models made in late 2009 and some 2010 model vehicles in the US equipped with variable gear ratio steering (VGRS) to address a temporary steering wheel off-center condition that may develop under a specific driving manoeuvre.

''We have developed a remedy that will be quickly put into place to help address customer concerns. We will be notifying owners of involved 2009 and 2010 LS models to modify the Variable Gear Ratio Steering (VGRS) system, and Lexus dealers will be contacting owners shortly to set up appointments, said the carmaker in a statement.

After having received 12 complaints on the same problem in Japan, Toyota had recalled 4,500 Lexus vehicles at home on 19 May 2010 (See: Toyota to recall 4,500 Lexus cars with steering defects in Japan).

Toyota has also recalled another 7,000 Lexus LS sedans worldwide, which has been sold in Europe, China, Middle East, South East Asia and Australia.

This is the second time in the US in recent months that Toyota has stopped sales of its vehicles after the carmaker stopped selling eight of its best-selling models in January due to mechanical defects that caused the vehicles to accelerate unintentionally (See: Toyota suspends sales of 8 models in the US, may close 5 plant lines).