Besieged Japanese carmaker Toyota Motor Corporation is recalling 270,000 cars globally, including its flagship Lexus luxury sedan, to fix defective valve components that could lead to stalling, the latest in a series of recalls for the world's biggest automaker on quality related issues.

The carmaker has informed the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that it is recalling 138,000 vehicles in the US and said it will be informing Japan's transport ministry on Monday of its plans to recall 90,000 vehicles in Japan. The remaining vehicles will be recalled from other countries.

Toyota Motor US said yesterday that it is recalling Lexus vehicles in certain 2006, 2007 and 2008 GS, IS and LS models in the US as some foreign material may have contaminated a small number of the valve springs that leads to abnormal engine noise or idling and in extremely rare instances, the engine stalling.

Toyota estimates that the likelihood of a customer vehicle experiencing this condition is two-tenths of one per cent. It said that it has received no reports of any Lexus accidents or injuries related to this condition.

All the vehicles involved are Lexus sedans with V8 or V6 engines. Models that could be involved in the recall are model year 2007 and 2008 GS 350 and 450h, 2008 GS 460, 2006 through 2008 IS 350, 2007 and 2008 LS 460 and LS 460L and the 2008 LS 600hL.

It noted that none of the current 2010 model year or of 2009 are affected. Toyota said that it would repair the engine's valve springs at no charge to customers.

Although the carmaker has not revealed how much the latest recall will cost the company, Japanese newspaper Asahi yesterday reported that the recall may cost the carmaker $228 million.

This is the third time this year that Toyota has experienced quality problems with the Lexus luxury sedans, including the hybrid model.

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-centre condition that may develop under a specific driving manoeuvre.

It then said that it would temporarily suspend all sales of certain models of the Lexus luxury sedan till it finds a fix for a computerised steering wheel problem. (See: Toyota stops US sales of certain Lexus LS sedans to fix steering wheel problem)

On 26 June, it issued a recall to 17,000 of its new 2010 Lexus HS 250h hybrid vehicles in the US and halted sales after the vehicle spilled fuel during the regulators crash tests. (See: Toyota recalls 17,000 Lexus HS 250h hybrid over fuel leak issue) 

The carmaker has so far recalled more than 8.5 million vehicles globally this year, and had paid a $16.4 million fine in the US.