WASHINGTON - Toyota on Monday said it was recalling about 690,000 Tacoma pickup trucks in the United States to fix a suspension system flaw that could result in vehicle fires.
The safety recall covers model years 2005-2011 Tacoma 4x4 and Tacoma PreRunner pickup trucks, the U.S. unit of Toyota Motor Corp. (IW 1000/8) said.
The trucks' rear suspension system contains springs that could fracture due to stress and corrosion, it warned.
If the broken spring moves out of position and contacts the fuel tank repeatedly, it could puncture the tank, causing a fuel leak that increases the risk of a vehicle fire.
Toyota, the world's largest automaker, said it was not aware of any fires, crashes, injuries or fatalities associated with the condition.
A Toyota spokeswoman told AFP that the company also was recalling about 100,000 of the Tacoma trucks outside the U.S.
It was the third safety recall issued by Toyota USA this month, bringing the total to 840,000 vehicles.
On Sept. 18, the Japanese automaker recalled 20,000 cars due to bad welding on a fuel delivery pipe in the engine compartment that could cause a fuel leak and subsequent fire.
