Toyota Motor Corp has announced a recall of up to 270,000 vehicles globally, including several luxury models, due to faulty engines in the latest quality lapse by the world's largest carmaker.

Announcing the recall on Friday company officials said flaws in valve springs, a crucial engine component, could make the vehicle stall while moving.

Toyota said it plans to submit a recall notice to Japan's transport ministry on Monday, with the latest action affecting 90,000 units in Japan and 180,000 overseas, the majority of which are in the United States.

"The recall is due to defective parts of valve springs, which may result in abnormal noise or idling. In a worst case, the engine could stop," said Ririko Takeuchi, a Toyota spokeswoman.

The Japanese company has been plagued by safety problems since September, and has recalled about 8 million cars worldwide to fix faulty parts.

Complaints

In its announcement on Friday the company said it received about 200 complaints over faulty engines in Japan but no accidents were reported there or abroad.

Toyota has faced criticism and fines over its handling of recent recalls [Reuters]

Some drivers also reported engines making an unusual noise.

Toyota's announcement comes as it looks to improve its recall procedures following heavy criticism of the way it handled safety issues in the US that have been blamed for more than 80 deaths.

Japan's major daily Asahi said on Friday the latest recall of 270,000 vehicles could cost Toyota around 20 billion yen ($227m).

Paul Nolasco, a Toyota spokesman, said the recall starting Monday would involve 90,000 vehicles including seven luxury Lexus sedan models as well as the popular Crown.

Toyota has been scrambling to repair its dented reputation after 8.5 million vehicles were recalled beginning in October because of problems with sticking accelerator pedals and other issues.

The company was slapped with a record $16.4m fine in the United States for acting too slowly to recall vehicles with defects.

Legal action

Toyota dealers have repaired millions of vehicles following the massive global recalls, but the carmaker still faces more than 200 lawsuits tied to accidents, the lower resale value of Toyota vehicles, and the drop in the company's stock.

The company last week said it would recall 17,000 Lexus luxury hybrids after tests showed that fuel could spill during a rear-end crash.

A US government probe into what caused some of Toyota's vehicles to suddenly accelerate is expected to be completed by late August.

Officials were also investigating whether Toyota waited nearly a year in 2005 to recall trucks and SUVs in the US with defective steering rods, a case that could lead to additional fines.

Toyota returned to the black in the fiscal year ended March and forecast surging profits despite the millions of recalls that it estimated would cost 180 billion yen ($2bn) for the period.

Shares in the automaker were flat in Tokyo morning trade on Friday.

Ryoichi Saito, an auto analyst from Mizuho Investors Securities Co Ltd, said the latest recall was unlikely to hurt Toyota.

"It is clear that Toyota has learned a lesson from the recall disaster," Saito told The Associated Press. "The company has acted very swiftly to deal with problems."