Toyota has announced a recall of one of its luxury cars as a result of an engine fault. The recall will start in the manufacturer’s home country of Japan. It’s estimated that 270,000 of these vehicles have been sold worldwide and a recall in all other countries is expected to follow shortly.

The Toyota Lexus and the Crown models are being recalled by the Japanese car maker. The company will attempt to rectify an engine fault which causes the vehicle to stall.

In an official statement Toyota outlined the problem affecting its new Lexus models: ‘Improperly functioning valve springs have been found in some Lexus engines and there is a small possibility that abnormal engine noise or unstable idling may occur.

‘In very rare instances, there is a chance that the engine may stop.’

In total Toyota is recalling seven different models of the top of the range Lexus. Despite the engine malfunction, no accidents have been reported due to this fault, according to Toyota, although they have confirmed that they have received over 200 complaints.

Toyota has been plagued with problems over the years with 8 million vehicles having been recalled for a variety of reasons ranging from malfunctioning electric windows, to the more serious problem of faulty accelerator pedals and software issues.

Some 138,000 of the faulty luxury cars have been sold to customers in the States. The US Government has issued Toyota with a fine for $16.4 million as they believe the firm has been too slow to respond to the current problem.