Toyota is recalling more than 6.5m cars worldwide to fix a variety of problems, including faulty steering wheels and seats.
The recall affects 50,000 cars in the UK, including some RAV4, Hilux, Yaris and Urban Cruiser models. Toyota Australia said it will recall 300,000 cars, including Hilux "utes" and Yaris city cars.
The company said there have been no reported accidents or injuries relating to the problems identified.
The global recall tally could be revised on Wednesday, when Toyota makes a full statement at its headquarters in Japan, according to Reuters. But a recall of 6.5m would still be one of the largest in history and a huge blow to the world's biggest selling carmaker that has seen its reputation battered by a string of damaging recalls.
Between 2009-2010 the Japanese company had to fix 10m cars because of braking problems, which it later admitted were caused by over-hasty expansion.
Most of the affected cars in the current recall are reported to be in north America, with 825,000 in Europe.
In the UK, the recall affects some 40,000 RAV4 and Hilux models bought between June 2004 and December 2010; these cars have a faulty connection from the steering wheel to the airbag, meaning that a certain turn of the wheel could cause the airbag to deactivate. "If connectivity is lost, the airbag warning light will illuminate on the instrument panel and the driver's airbag may be deactivated," the company said.
It has also found a problem with the sliding mechanism in the front-passenger seat of some Yaris and Urban Cruiser models, meaning they could break with repeated use. "Should the spring break, the seat may not lock into its adjusted position, and could move in the event of a crash," the company said.
This problem affects 10,263 UK-registered vehicles built between January 2005 and August 2010.
The company said it would contact customers in the coming weeks to make an appointment for the free repairs. Drivers can check if their vehicle is affected by using a registration number search function on the Toyota website.
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