Toyota recalls 412,000 vehicles

NEW YORK (AP) — Toyota is recalling nearly a half-million cars, most of them large sedans sold in the United States, for problems that can cause the steering wheel to lock up. It’s the latest indication that the automaker is still struggling with vehicle problems even as it works to overhaul quality control.

The recall, announced Thursday, affects 412,000 vehicles in the United States — 373,000 Avalon sedans and 39,000 Lexus LX 470 SUVs. The recall is Toyota’s largest since announcing that it would fix 600,000 Sienna minivans over rusting spare tire holders in April.

Toyota has been embroiled in its recall crisis since October, when it announced a recall of 5.3 million cars and trucks to fix floor mats that can trap pedals and cause unintended acceleration. A number of recalls have followed, from sticky gas pedals to braking problems with the Prius hybrid to rusting frames in the Tacoma pickup.

Thursday’s announcement brings the size of Toyota’s recalls to about 9.5 million cars and trucks in the U.S. since October.

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