Toyota recalls 135,000 compact cars in Japan, Europe

Tokyo: Toyota has recalled 135,000 compact cars in Japan and Europe due to a software problem that could cause power steering to stop working.

There were no reports of accidents or injuries related to the problem affecting the iQ model sold in Japan and Europe, and the Passo sold only in Japan, according to Toyota Motor Corp. on Thursday.

Driving over a bump may cause programming to malfunction, making the power steering uncontrollably heavy, the world's top automaker said.

The problem vehicles were produced in Japan from September 2008 through to last month, it said. The models were not sold in North America. Some 12,000 of the recalled cars are in Britain, Toyota's British unit said.

Over the past year, the world's biggest automaker has recalled more than 10 million cars and trucks worldwide.