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TORRANCE, Calif. — Amid rumors that it was putting an end to its Sequoia model, Toyota issued a statement Thursday to clear the air. 

"Toyota denies any reports of the discontinuation of the Sequoia. For obvious competitive reasons, Toyota does not discuss future product plans," the Toyota statement read.

"Sequoia continues to be a profitable, high-quality vehicle for Toyota and several years remain in the life of the current generation," the statement continued. "Our focus remains on building our vehicles, including the Sequoia, with the highest possible quality."

This wasn't the only headache the company dealt with Thursday.

In the latest round of recalls that have stymied the automaker for much of this year, Toyota revealed that more than 400,000 Toyota and Lexus vehicles are being recalled in the U.S. for two separate steering-related issues.

About 373,000 Toyota Avalons from model years 2000 through 2004 in the U.S. are being pulled out of the market and off the streets to fix a possible problem with the steering lock bar, which officials said is part of the steering interlock system.

Apparently, the "improper casting" on the bar can cause "minute" cracking on the surface on the component. Locking and unlocking over-and-over again can lead to the crack growing. This could ultimately result in the lock bar breaking.

"If this occurs, the interlock system may become difficult to unlock when stationary," officials explained.

"If the vehicle, while being driven, is steered to the right with sufficient lateral acceleration, a broken and loose lock bar may move toward the steering shaft," they added. "If the engagement hole in the shaft happens to line up at the specific time the broken lock bar has moved, this could cause the steering wheel lock bar to engage, locking the steering wheel, and increasing the risk of a crash."

Any applicable vehicles under the recall can have their steering column bracket replaced by Toyota. This process can be completed in two hours, give or take, based on how busy the dealer is.

The company is sending out mail starting late next month to let owners know to bring in their rides to local Toyota stores. Customers can have the steering column bracket replaced for free.  

Brian Lyons, safety and quality communications manager for Toyota Motor Sales USA, told Auto Remarketing on Thursday that there have been six cases of this situation happening in the U.S. There have been three unconfirmed minor accidents related to this ,but there have been no reports of injuries, he noted.

Steve St. Angelo, Toyota chief quality officer for North America, said, "Toyota is continuing to work diligently to address safety issues wherever they arise and to strengthen our global quality assurance operations so that Toyota owners can be confident in the safety of their vehicles."

As far as the Lexus recall in the U.S., 39,000 LX 470 vehicles are from the 2003 through 2007 model years are being recalled to fix an issue with the steering shaft.

The problem stems from how the construction of the steering shaft can impact the shaft's snap ring. Officials explained that when "unusually severe impact" — like hitting a deep pothole — occurs on the front wheels, the snap ring can possibly disengage.

"If the snap ring becomes disengaged and the steering wheel is then repeatedly turned to the full locked position, the steering shaft may disengage over time," officials explained.

Lyons noted that "Lexus in the U.S. has received one report of this condition" but does not know of any accidents associated with it."

"At Lexus, we are committed to setting a new standard for quality customer care and aggressive attention to the safety of our drivers," commented Mark Templin, group vice president and general manager of Lexus. "Our engineers have thoroughly investigated this issue and have identified a robust and durable remedy that will help prevent this condition from affecting drivers in the future."

To fix this problem, Lexus dealerships will swap out the old snap ring with a newly designed edition. They will also install another component to keep the steering shaft from separating.

Lexus will start letting owners visit their local Lexus dealers for the fix the middle of next month. Again, replacement is free.

Officials emphasized that no other Toyota or Lexus models are affected by either of the two aforementioned recalls. 

Global Recall Issues 

The issues with these models extend throughout the world. Lyons told Auto Remarketing that the recall of the Avalon inlcudes about 400,000 vehicles globally, and gave the following data for countries outside the U.S.: 

—Japan: Roughly 7,000 units recalled.

—Saudi Arabia: About 5,000 units recalled.

—Canada: About 4,000 units recalled. 

As far as the Lexus model, there are 80,000 units across the world that have been recalled. Here is the breakdown Lyons gave for outside the U.S.:

—Europe: About 8,000 units.

—Middle East: Roughly 16,000 units.

—Australia: 5,000 units.

—China: 1,000 units.

—Japan: 10,000 units (was for a Land Crusier model that is not sold in the U.S.)