Toyota Motor, the world's biggest automaker, said it plans to recall four models of its Lexus luxury car in Japan due to steering problems, its latest move in a series of massive recalls.

The recall is likely to cover about 4,500 cars in Japan and the total could reach 11,500 worldwide, Toyota spokeswoman Mieko Iwasaki said on Wednesday.

The models in question were sold in the US, Europe and China as well as Japan.

The models covered by the recall are the LS460 and LS460L, and hybrids LS600h and LS600hL.

The move is the latest in a series of recalls and incidents that have tarnished Toyota's reputation for quality.

The automaker has recalled more than eight million Toyota and Lexus vehicles worldwide in 2009 and this year, including 6.5 million in the US, mainly due to complaints about unintended acceleration.

On Tuesday, Toyota paid a $16.4 million fine to settle allegations by US regulators that it was too slow to recall vehicles with defective accelerator pedals.

Toyota shares ended morning trade down 1 percent at 3,495 yen ($38), outperforming the Nikkei average, which fell 1.6 per cent. – Reuters