YAHOO NEWS -- May 20. 2010 – Toyota said Wednesday that it will recall a line of luxury Lexus sedans in the United States and Japan to fix a computerized steering problem.

The recalls will affect 4,500 Lexus "LS" vehicles in Japan and the 3,800 2010 "LS" models that Toyota has sold in the United States. The line is Toyota's top-priced luxury sedan brand, and includes the "LS 600h" hybrid.

The world's largest automaker, battered by a series of high-profile safety recalls in recent months, said consumers have complained of steering wheels that came off-center during certain driving maneuvers, out of alignment with the directon of the car's wheels. Toyota received 12 complaints in Japan, but said it knew of no accidents caused by the problem. The company has sold about 7,000 Lexus "LS" sedans outside of Japan, including the 3,800 in the U.S., 150 in Europe and 800 in China, with others sold in areas such as the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Australia.

After being hit with a record $16.4 million fine in the U.S. and facing strong government criticism both at home and abroad for slow responses to safety problems, Toyota Motor Corp. is working to react more quickly. The company on Tuesday paid the fine in the U.S., where it still faces hundreds of state and federal lawsuits.

The latest issue involves a computerized system that oversees how the steering wheel controls the tires. The steering system comes standard in Japanese models, but is optional in some other regions. It varies the amount that the steering wheel turns the tires on a car, allowing drivers to turn the wheel less at low speeds when attempting to navigate or park in tight spots and providing finer control at high speeds.

The system can take "a few seconds" to return the steering to normal after it has been adjusted, which led to complaints from drivers, said Toyota spokesman

He said Toyota is preparing to conduct a recall in Japan soon, but wasn't sure of the exact timing. The U.S. recall is expected Friday.