Troubled Toyota forced to recall 1.7m cars over fuel leak worries

The company said hundreds of Toyota Avensis and Lexus IS 250 models could be at risk of fuel leaks and have to be modified.

According to Toyota, there have been no accidents suspected of being related to the defects, but it is the latest in a series of quality control woes for the Japanese car-maker.

Officials said they are writing to the owners of the affected vehicles to arrange repairs.

A statement released by the company said: "As a result of customer feedback in other markets worldwide, Toyota GB today announced it would recall a number of its Toyota Avensis and Lexus IS 250 models in the UK to carry out modifications to their fuel systems.

"It is 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 an authorised Toyota or Lexus repairer for the necessary repair work to be done."

Around 15,500 British owners of Toyota Avensis 2.0-litre and 2.4-litre petrol engine models, produced between July 2000 and September 2008, are eligible for the free repair, which could take up to four-and-a-half hours.

Approximately 3,100 UK registered Lexus IS 250 petrol engine vehicles, produced between August 2007 and February 2009, are also affected by the company's recall plans.

Jon Williams, the managing director of Toyota GB PLC, said: "We will liaise with our customers to carry out the repair procedures as efficiently as possible, with minimal disruption."