Toyota Motor Co is recalling and temporarily halting sales of its 2010 Lexus HS250h gasoline-electric hybrid due to a potential fuel leak problem, the company said on Friday.

In a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Toyota said the recall and stop-sale order affected approximately 17,000 sedans that have been manufactured for sale in the United States.

Toyota said the action was taken due to a fuel leak found after a government-sponsored crash test. The cause is under investigation. Toyota said there was no leak following its own crash test.

The recall and stop sale order is the latest affecting the Japanese automaker, which has stepped up its safety oversight following a string of recalls late in 2009 and this year that has jolted the company known for its reliability.

NHTSA is also paying closer attention to safety issues involving Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

Two major recalls involved more than 8 million cars and trucks worldwide for unintended acceleration. The problems centered on faulty accelerator pedal parts and floormats that can jam the accelerator.

(Reporting by John Crawley, editing by Bernard Orr)

Toyota