Toyota recalls up to 19,000 cars in UK

The car manufacturer Toyota is recalling nearly 19,000 cars in the UK because of potential problems with their fuel systems, the company said today.
It said hundreds of Toyota Avensis and Lexus IS 250 models could be at risk of fuel leaks, and need modification. Nearly 1.7m Toyota-made vehicles are being recalled worldwide because of the defects.
According to Toyota, no accidents have been linked to the problem, but the recall marks the latest in a series of quality-control woes for the Japanese carmaker.
Officials said they would be 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.
About 3,100 UK registered Lexus IS 250 petrol engine vehicles produced between August 2007 and February 2009 are also affected.
Jon Williams, managing director of Toyota GB, said: "We are committed to putting the customer first and have a total focus on the quality of all our products. We will liaise with our customers to carry out the repair procedures as efficiently as possible, with minimal disruption." (from guardian)