Toyota Motor Corp said it's recalling about 20,000 vehicles worldwide over possible fuel leaks, Reuters reported on Thursday.
Most of the affected vehicles are in the United States, but were also shipped to other countries as well. Toyota Motor Sales USA said the recall involves vehicles with its 2GR-FE engine.
The recall includes the 2015 model year Lexus RX, and four 2014 model year Toyota vehicles: Avalon, Camry, Highlander and Sienna. A fuel delivery pipe in the engine was not correctly welded by a Toyota supplier company and may leak, the automaker said. The risk of fire could increase with the leak.
Toyota said it was not aware of any crashes, fires, injuries or fatalities caused by the problem. All of the Toyota models in question were produced in the United States, with the Lexus model made in Canada. They were shipped around the world to Russia, Australia, South Korea and other parts of Asia and the Middle East.
Safety regulators have standardized recall notices sent to vehicle owners to try to get more people to have recalled cars repaired. The envelope says "Safety Recall Notice" in red letters across its lower right corner and displays the logos of the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. They believe this will make the notices more visible and prevent consumers from confusing them with advertisements and other mail, the LA Times reported.
The car company said that when owners take their cars back to the dealers, mechanics will inspect the fuel delivery pipe for any faults. If it was produced by the supplier that conducted the bad installation, it will be replaced, the company said. Toyota did not name the supplier.
Car companies have recalled roughly 46 million vehicles so far this year, breaking the record for the industry.
