Toyota Motor Corp by today morning had not yet alerted U.S. safety regulators of a recall of one Toyota and seven Lexus models for possible engine stalling while driving, Reuters quoted a federal safety official as saying. Toyota officials in Tokyo earlier on Thursday said the world's top automaker was considering "some kind of measure" that may include the recall of 270,000 vehicles worldwide. The sedans may also have excessive engine noise, Toyota said. Of the 270,000 vehicles, about 137,000 are in the United States. Canadian autos are also involved, but no figure was given for Canada. No accidents or injuries have been reported, Toyota said, related to the stalling issue. Toyota said that in rare cases, the stall may occur while the sedans are being driven. Since last September, Toyota has been plagued by a safety crisis that has led to the recall of more than 10 million vehicles globally, mostly for potential unintended acceleration. About 7.3 million vehicles have been recalled in the United States, the automaker's biggest market. Toyota said that decisions by government regulators would determine if a recall was necessary for the eight models, including the high-end Lexus LS 460 and Toyota Crown sedans. Other Lexus models are the GS 350, the GS 450h, the GS 460, the IS 350, the LS 600h and the LS 600hl. The LS 600h is not sold in the United States. The models marked by "h" are gasoline-electric hybrids. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had not received any communication from Toyota regarding the issue as of early Thursday, according to a Department of Transportation spokeswoman. The DOT is the parent agency of the NHTSA. Models involved have 4.6-liter and 3.6-liter engines, a Toyota spokeswoman in Tokyo said. Some of these vehicles could have a problem with the valve spring in their engines that may cause idling trouble that could lead to engine failure, although no accidents have been reported, she said.
