Toyota is recalling 870 of its cars in the UK over fears the steering-wheel could come off in the driver’s hands after the nut which keeps it in place works loose.

It is part of a global recall affecting nearly 7,500 Verso models worldwide built between May and August of last year at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Turkey.

The Japanese car-maker said the nut securing the wheel was not correctly tightened during manufacture – which could lead to a loss of steering control.

A Toyota spokeswoman said that over time there was a risk of the nut becoming ‘fully detached’, which in turn could lead to the steering wheel coming off in the driver’s hands. But so far there had been no reported accidents or incidents.

She said: “Toyota has identified the risk of the nut which retains the steering wheel coming loose due to not having been secured with sufficient torque during the assembly process.

“The problem may result in the steering making an abnormal noise, with the driver experiencing a degree of free play in the wheel. Over time there may be a risk of the nut becoming fully detached.”

She added: “All the vehicles affected by this issue are being recalled so that the steering wheel nut can be tightened with the correct degree of torque.”

The recall is global and affects 7,414 worldwide of 870 UK-registered Verso cars.

It comes less than a month after the firm recalled 1.9 million of its top-selling ‘green’ Prius hybrid cars – including nearly 31,000 in the UK – because of a software fault affecting the accelerator-control that could cause the vehicle to shut itself down and stop.

Both are the latest in a long line of embarrassing incidents which have beset the firm in recent years causing international controversy, prompting apologies from Japanese bosses, and denting its reputation.

Toyota, which is Japan’s biggest carmaker, will check the vehicles and, if necessary, tighten the steering wheel securing nut.

Toyota has contacted owners over the last few weeks by post or telephone, asking them to make an appointment to bring their car to their nearest Toyota centre, in accordance with Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) guidelines.

The nut retightening takes about 20 minutes to complete and will be carried out free of charge.

Customers can check whether their vehicle is affected using a registration look-up function in the owners section of the main Toyota website.

If owners need more information, or do not have access to the internet, they can contact Toyota Customer Relations on 0800 1388744 or 01737 367600.

Last month Toyota recalled 30,970 of the current third generation petrol-electric hybrid ‘green’ Prius models registered in the UK and manufactured between March 2009 and February 2014.

It was part of a 1.9 million recall of Prius models worldwide.

It said the latest incident involved an issue with the software used in the ‘boost converter’ which helps control the flow of power. The boost converter is required when accelerating hard from standstill.

It said there had been 11 incidents across Europe of the computer problem but there had been ‘no accidents or injuries.’

The company said the software defect could lead to key electrical transistor parts ‘deforming or being damaged’.

It noted: “Should this happen, warning lights may be illuminated and the car is likely to switch to ‘failsafe’ operation.

“It can still be driven, but with reduced power. In limited cases the hybrid system may shut down, causing the vehicle to stop.

“The driver will not experience any change in the vehicle’s behaviour or performance prior to the problem occurring.”

•Credit (except headline): MailOnline.

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