The Toyota logo is lit up above Boch Toyota's dealership in Norwood, Massachusetts January 27, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

A recall of vehicles made by Toyota has spread beyond the United States.

Reliability issues surrounding accelerator pedals have already seen seven million cars recalled in the U.S. and now the company has announced it is to extend the recall to Europe and China. At least 75,000 vehicles may be recalled in China, the world's largest car market and a region where Toyota has been struggling to replicate success it has enjoyed elsewhere.

The scale of the recall in Europe has not been estimated but it is likely to be significant. The recalls could not come at a worse time for the Japanese company.

It is battling to restore the company to profit after fiscal 2008 saw Toyota's first full-year loss since it switched from making looms to building cars 60 years ago. The announcements sent Toyota's shares tumbling a further 4.3 percent adding to losses seen last week.

American owners of the affected vehicles are being asked to bring them in for inspection after a series of incidents in which the accelerator pedals became stuck in the depressed position, causing accidents in some cases.

A spokesman for the world's biggest carmaker said that the company was investigating which vehicles sold in Europe were affected by faulty accelerators.

A recall announcement would be made when the assessment was complete, the spokesman said. However, the company said that it had "no need or intention" of halting vehicle production at its European factories.

But in the United States Toyota took the rare step Wednesday of suspending production and sales of eight Toyota models built at its factories. The latest U.S. recall covers a range of models, including the Highlander and Corolla. The models affected by the suspension represent 70 percent of those sold in the U.S. in December, and include the popular Camry.

If the recall does affect a large number of vehicles in Europe it may suggest that the problem relates more to fundamental design than to specific production issues, some analysts have said.

One problem appears to center on the floor mats, which can come unstuck and cause the pedals to catch. The second, more serious, problem is mechanical. Toyota has said that the accelerator pedal can, in a worst case scenario, stick in a "partially depressed position" when the mechanism becomes worn.

On its U.S. website, the company recommends that drivers "step on the brake pedal with both feet using firm and steady pressure."