Toyota today notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of its intention to recall certain Lexus models in the United States to fix faulty engines in the automaker's latest quality problem.
The recall affects approximately 138,000 Lexus vehicles powered by 4.6 and 5.0 liter V8 and 3.5 liter V6 engines in certain 2006, 2007 and 2008 GS, IS and LS models. No vehicles from the current 2010 model year nor 2009 are affected.
"In the covered vehicles, due to slight variations during the manufacturing process, some foreign material may have contaminated a small number of the valve springs. If a vehicle is affected, there is a remote possibility that abnormal engine noise or idling may occur. In extremely rare instances, the engine may stop while the vehicle is in operation," Lexus said in a statement.To fix the problem Lexus plans to replace the engine valve springs on the affected models.
The Japanese automaker said owners can continue to drive their vehicles, but it added that if symptoms such as vibration, rough idling, unusual engine sounds or poor performance occur, then they should take their car to a Lexus dealer for service.
Earlier this week, Toyota announced in Japan that it would recall a total of 270,000 Lexus models (plus the Toyota Crown) around the world to address the engine stalling issues.
