Toyota to recall over 1.5m cars in alert over brake and fuel problems

The recall affects about 740,000 cars in the US and 599,000 in Japan. The remainder are in Europe and other markets around the world.

Over the past year, the world's biggest car maker has recalled more than 10 million cars and trucks worldwide for a variety of problems, including sticky accelerator pedals, dealing a major blow to its reputation for quality.

Most vehicles need to be fixed for a problem with the brake master cylinder, which could lead to weaker braking power, said spokesman Paul Nolasco in Tokyo.

Some of the models have an electrical problem with the fuel pump, which could lead the engine to stall.

No accidents have been reported from the two problems, he said.

US-based owners of the vehicles will be notified by post beginning early next month. Toyota and Lexus dealers will replace the brake master cylinder cup with a newly designed one at no charge to the vehicle owners, the company said.

Two voluntary Lexus recalls are being carried out in Britain, affecting its IS, GS and RX models

The company said in a statement it was working with the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) to contact registered owners and keepers by letter to advise them of the procedure for taking their vehicle to a Lexus centre or an official Lexus service outlet for repair work.

"Lexus is aware that the seal between the brake master cylinder and the brake booster may turn in its seat, causing brake fluid to leak into

the brake booster," the company said.

"In the very unlikely event that this happens, the driver will be alerted to the problem by the low brake fluid warning light. The brakes will continue to function normally for a significant time – over 200 miles of regular driving. Lexus knows of no accidents caused by this issue."

The first recall concerns the brake master cylinder fitted to IS, GS and RX models built between February 2003 and November 2005.

The repair will take approximately two hours to complete, at no cost to the customer. Approximately 15,400 UK registered vehicles are affected by this recall.

Fuel pump concerns on GS 300 models built between September 2004 and February 2006 have prompted the other recall. Expansion and contraction of the fuel tank may stretch the fuel pump's electrical harness, which may lead to a break in the circuit, causing the fuel pump, and so the engine, to stop without warning.

The repair work should take up to three hours, and will be done at no cost to the customer. It affects 2,081 UK-registered cars.

Maker still faces series of lawsuits

The Japanese car firm's reputation is struggling to recover after a string of embarrassing and costly recalls.

In July, it announced it was recalling 270,000 Lexus and other vehicles worldwide to fix faulty engines.

The firm said flaws in valve springs, a crucial engine component, could make the vehicle stall while it is moving. The fault was put down to contaminated materials used for valve springs during manufacturing.

That recall affected seven luxury Lexus models as well as the popular Crown.

The move came as Toyota was already scrambling to repair its reputation after 8.5 million vehicles were recalled beginning in October last year because of problems with sticking accelerator pedals and other issues.

It was slapped with a record $16.4m (10.8m) fine in the United States for acting too slowly to recall vehicles with defects.

The car maker still faces more than 200 lawsuits over the issue.