A total of 8,000 Tacoma four-wheel drive 2010 trucks are being recalled in the US marketdue to front-shaft problems, Toyota Motor Sales USA announced on Friday.

Cracks are reported in a front-shaft component that could lead to a separation of the drive shaft, according to the company based in Torrance, Los Angeles.

Owners of the affected vehicles will be notified by mail starting mid-March and asked to take the trucks to a dealer, who will conduct a roughly 10-minute inspection. In some cases, the front drive shaft may need to be replaced, according to Toyota.

The announcement is unrelated to other Toyota recalls involvinga variety of vehicles due to sudden acceleration or sticking gas pedals.

Toyota has been haunted by a series of recalls.

(Xinhua News Agency February 13, 2010)