Toyota and Lexus are recalling a total of 72,885 UK-registered vehicles as part of action to identify and fix potential issues which could result in a fuel leak or partial air bag deployment.

Toyota’s Prius and Auris modes and the Lexus CT 200h are affected by the action which sees the total number of vehicles recalled for an inspection of their evaporative fuel emissions control unit (canister) mounted in the fuel tank.

A Toyota spokesman said that no incidents had so far resulted from the issue which could result in a fuel leak due to a cracks in the coating of the emissions channel “due to improper shaping of portions of the channel”.

Customers are being offered a free inspection and repair service on the vehicles – all built between April 2006 and August 2015 – with the process expected to take two to three hours.

A further recall affecting 34,135 of Prius and Lexus CT 200h models from the same batch of vehicles – manufactured between October 2008 and August 2012 – is being carried out at the same time following the discovery of a potential fault with the vehicles’ Curtain Shield Airbag.

The affected vehicles are equipped with curtain shield air bags (CSA) in the driver and passenger side roof rails that have air bag inflators composed of two chambers welded together. 

The Toyota spokesman said: “Some inflators could have a small crack in the weld area joining the chambers, which could grow over time, and lead to the separation of the inflator chambers. 

“This has been observed when the vehicle is parked and unoccupied for a period of time.  If an inflator separates, the CSA could partially inflate, and, in limited circumstances, one or both sections of the inflator could enter the interior of the vehicle. 

“If an occupant is present in the vehicle, there is an increased risk of injury.”

No injuries had been reported as a result of the issue, Toyota said.

Dealers will install retention brackets on the curtain shield air bag inflators at no cost – taking between two and four hours – as part of the recall operation. 

These retention brackets are designed to prevent the inflator chambers from entering the vehicle interior if separation occurs.

In accordance with DVSA guidelines vehicle owners will be contacted by Toyota or Lexus within the coming weeks by post or telephone and asked to make an appointment to bring their car to their nearest Toyota or Lexus Centre.