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Toyota Motor's Lexus brand staff dusts a Lexus luxury car at a Tokyo showroom on July 1, 2010. Toyota Motor warned an engine fault worldwide in eight models of its luxury Lexus and Crown sedans, potentially requiring a recall that could affect up to 270,000 units. The defective 4.6-litre V8 and 3.5-litre V6 engines are installed in eight top line models, including some hybrids, the Lexus GS350, GS450h, GS460, IS350, LS460, LS600h and LS600hL as well as Crown sedans. Image Credit: AFP

Tokyo: Toyota says that about 270,000 cars sold worldwide - including luxury Lexus sedans - have potentially faulty engines, the latest quality lapse to hit the automaker following massive global recalls of top-selling models.

Japan's public broadcaster NHK and Kyodo News agency said Thursday that Toyota, the world's No. 1 automaker, was considering recalling the vehicles but didn't name sources.

Japan's top-selling daily, Yomiuri, said in its evening edition that Toyota will inform the transport ministry of a recall on Monday. The paper cited no sources.

Toyota spokesman Hideaki Homma said the company was considering measures to deal with the problem of defective engines that can stall while the vehicle is moving. He would not confirm a recall was being considered.