Toyota, Nissan cite safety issues

Toyota Motor Corp. is recalling 34,400 Lexus GS and IS luxury sedans to fix fuel pipes that can crack and potentially allow gasoline to leak. The recall affects 2006-model GS 300 and IS 250 cars, Toyota’s Torrance-based U.S. sales unit said. Lexus, the top-selling U.S. luxury brand, said it had received no reports of accidents related to the flaw.

Nissan Motor Co. is expanding a U.S. recall of Sentra and Altima sedans to fix a faulty crankshaft sensor in 2002 and 2005-06 models that may shut off the engine. The recall covers about 653,910 vehicles with 2.5-liter engines, Tokyo-based Nissan told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in a letter posted on the agency’s website, www.nhtsa.gov. The sensor’s location may expose it to temperature variations that would interrupt signals it sends to the engine control module, the automaker said. Without the signals, the control module might shut off the engine in low-speed driving, Nissan said.

About 36,000 ornaments, including the 2006 Snow Princess Stirrup Ornament, the 2007 Holiday Stirrup Ornament and the 2007 Photo Frame Horse Shoe Ornament, were recalled because the surface paints on them contain high levels of lead, which is toxic if ingested by young children. The ornaments were distributed by Reeves International Inc. and made in China. They were sold at retailers nationwide, including the J.C. Penney catalog and website, from July 2006 through October. For more information, call (800) 444-4775 or go to www.breyerhorses.com or the Consumer Product Safety Commission site at www.cpsc.gov.