Toyota 'knew of car fault years ago'

Toyota Motor Corp started a global recall yesterday over engine defects in its Lexus luxury models sold around the world, as well as the Crown sold in Japan, moving to repair some 270,000 vehicles to replace valve springs – crucial engine components which are flawed and could cause vehicles to stall.

In August 2008, Toyota changed that spring part, making it thicker, to prevent the problem, said spokesman Hideaki Homma. That is why the latest recall does not affect vehicles produced after August 2008.

Toyota, the world's leading car maker, previously thought the problem was caused by a foreign substance entering during manufacturing of the valve springs, and beefed up checks so that would not happen.

But the company thought the issue was an isolated problem which did not require a recall.

"We changed the part in August because then the problem won't happen at all, even if tiny particles enter during manufacturing," Mr Homma said. "We are talking about microscopic particles here."

But complaints increased, and Toyota decided recently that it was not an isolated problem after all, but a design defect, and decided to issue the recall, said Mr Homma.

Toyota has promised to recall problem cars more quickly to salvage a once pristine reputation now in tatters after recalls rose to more than 8.5m vehicles around the world since October.

Toyota executives have repeatedly vowed to put customers first. But the company has been criticised as lagging in its response to quality lapses, and was slapped with a record $16.4m (10.8m) fine in the United States for responding too slowly when the recall crisis erupted.

Auto analyst Koji Endo at Advanced Research Japan said that recall after recall was devastating for Toyota's image, underlining how it had not properly paid attention to quality during its booming expansion years.