Toyota to recall 43,000 cars in China

Toyota Motor Corp has announced the recall of about 43,000 cars in China because a defect might cause engine oil to leak, news reports said Friday, DPA reported.

The cars were all manufactured in Japan, the Nikkei economic daily said. The four models affected are the Lexus ES 350, the Lexus RX 350, the Previa minivan and the Highlander sports utility vehicle.

In its announcement on Thursday, Toyota said it would start to fix the problem on December 30.

According to Toyota, similar problems may also occur in Japan, so the automaker reported to the government in November that it would voluntarily upgrade a fuel pipe, the daily Yomiuri said Friday.

Toyota's announcement came just months after the Japanese automaker's biggest recall in China, affecting nearly 700,000 vehicles.