Cars

Toyota suspends sales of 2010 Lexus HS 250h hybrid

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-06-26 14:17

LOS ANGELES: Problem-ridden Toyota Motor Corp has run into yet another problem as it stopped all sales of its 2010 Lexus HS 250h hybrid after tests had revealed the car could leak fuel in a rear-end collision, the Los Angeles Times reported on Friday.

The Japanese automaker said it was also recalling roughly 13,000 Lexus HS sedans that had been sold and 4,000 that are still on dealership lots, the newspaper report added.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in a recall filing Friday, said that the defect "could result in a fire."

A similar problem in the Ford Pinto model that has been blamed for 27 deaths led to one of the most publicized recalls of all time, in 1979.

A remedy for the problem has not yet been determined, Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said.

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Toyota was not aware of any incidents or accidents resulting from the defect in the HS, a model that was first introduced late last summer, Lyons said.

The new Lexus recall is the latest in a string of safety and quality problems that have confronted Toyota since last September, when it announced a massive recall to deal with sudden acceleration.

The issues have led to multiple congressional hearings, hundreds of lawsuits and a public apology from the company's president, Akio Toyoda.

Lyons said Toyota had informed its dealers of the sale suspension earlier Friday. He could not predict when recall would take place or when dealerships could again resume sales of the HS.