Toyota to recall 600,000 minivans

Embattled car maker Toyota is recalling 600,000 Sienna minivans sold in the US over fears of rusty spare tyre cables snapping.

The latest safety problem to strike the manufacturer came as the US government planned another hearing to review potential electronic problems in runaway Toyotas.

The Japanese car giant has recalled more than eight million vehicles because of faulty accelerator pedals, humbling a car company long known for its quality and safety.

Toyota said it would respond quickly to the latest safety worries.

Meanwhile Toyota said its engineers in Japan had duplicated the same results of tests that led Consumer Reports magazine to issue a rare "don't buy" warning on the 2010 Lexus GX 460 because of an apparent rollover problem.

Toyota responded by halting sales of new GX 460s and conducting tests on all of its SUVs.

Lexus spokesman Bill Kwong said the company was looking at potential remedies for the GX 460, but it was "too early to speculate (on) the details of the remedy and its timing".

Toyota said its latest recall covered the 1998-2010 model year Siennas with two-wheel-drive that have been sold or registered in 20 cold-climate states and the District of Columbia.

It said rust from road salt could cause the carrier cable that holds the spare tyre to rust and break, allowing the tyre to tumble into the road. The problem could threaten the safety of other drivers.

Toyota said it was unaware of any accidents or injuries. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it had received six complaints of spare tyres falling off Siennas.

The company said it was working on a fix for the problem. In the meantime, it said, customers would be told to bring their vehicle to a dealership for an inspection.

"Toyota is listening to its customers attentively, and we want to make sure their voices are heard," said Steve St Angelo, Toyota's chief quality officer for North America.

Meanwhile US politicians remained focused on the spate of recalls affecting the company.

Democrat Henry Waxman, chairman of the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee, and Bart Stupak, a Democratic sub-committee chairman, said they planned to hold a May 6 hearing to look into potential electronic causes of sudden acceleration in Toyotas.

Toyota has said it has found no evidence of electronic problems, attributing the issues to sticking accelerator pedals and accelerators that can become jammed in floor mats.

Toyota said yesterday it was "more than willing to meet with the committee and discuss the ongoing testing related to our electronic throttle control system, as well as the steps we are taking to improve our quality assurance processes".

"Nothing is more important to us than the safety and reliability of the vehicles our customers drive," it added.

The Transportation Department has fined the company $16.5m (€12.22m) for failing to notify the US government promptly about defective accelerator pedals among its vehicles - the largest civil penalty issued to a car maker by the US government

Toyota has until Monday to agree to the penalty or contest it.

Transport chiefs have not ruled out additional fines. The department is reviewing whether Toyota delayed for six weeks the late-January recall of the 2009-2010 Venza in the US to deal with floor mats that could trap the accelerator pedal, after making a similar recall in Canada.

Car makers must notify the US government within five business days when they find a potential safety defect.