The recall covers 123,000 vehicles in Japan, including the Vitz compact, and 46,000 vehicles in Europe, including the Yaris, all produced between August 2010 and March 2012, Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said today.
It also covers 11,000 Subaru Trezia vehicles produced under an OEM deal, all in Japan, he said.
Only about 100 vehicles were affected in North America. The problem can short circuit the power steering, causing a warning lamp to go on and a buzzer to go off. It can also suspend power-steering assistance, so the driver needs to work harder to steer, according to Toyota.