The Toyota Camry is seen during a launch in Bangalore in 2002. Toyota Motor will begin producing a hybrid version of its popular Camry mid-sized sedan at a plant in Kentucky in late 2006, the automaker said.(AFP/File/Indranil Mukherjee)

Toyota Motor Corp. said on Wednesday it would recall about 880,000 sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and pickups worldwide, mostly in the United States, to fix a defect in the front suspension that could hamper steering.

Covered in the recall, aimed at fixing front-suspension ball joints that could wear faster than they should, are the Tacoma and Tundra pickup trucks and Sequoia, Landcruiser Prado and 4Runner/Hilux Surf SUVs built between May 2001 and December 2003. Of the total, 789,000 units are in North America.

Japan's top auto maker said it does not disclose estimated recall costs.

A spokesman said there was one report of an accident in Japan, where Toyota is recalling 23,800 Hilux Surf and Landcruiser Prado vehicles. Information on accidents elsewhere was not immediately available.

The recall also covers 19,000 vehicles in Europe and 12,000 in Australia.

Shares in Toyota ended morning trade down 0.78 percent at 3,820 yen, compared with a slight gain in the Nikkei average.

                                                                              (AP)

recall : 收回；取回；取消

SUV: 運動型多功能車

pickup: 小型貨運汽車

suspension: the system of springs and other devices that insulates the chassis of a vehicle from shocks transmitted through the wheels（懸架，由彈簧和其它裝置構成，使交通工具的底盤免受外界震動）

steering: 駕駛；操縱；控制

ball joint: 球窩接合, 球窩接頭