Toyota said on Friday that is it planning to recall 17,000 Lexus luxury hybrids after testing demonstrated that fuel can spill during a rear end crash.

The Japanese automaker said that tests carried out for the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration found that fuel leaked during a rear impact crash at 50 miles per hour on a 2010 HS250h sedan. The test, conducted by a NHTSA service provider, showed that fuel spilled, as the vehicle kept spinning around after the impact.

Toyota's own testing has not shown any spillage, but a Spokesperson said the Company intends to issue a voluntary recall, as it continues to try to reproduce the Government's results. It is also in the process of informing dealers to stop selling the car.

Toyota, which is the world's largest automaker, has tried to rebound from a succession of recalls that were tied to reports of unintended acceleration and other faults. The Obama management penalized Toyota with a record $16.4 million fine for acting too leisurely on the recalls.

Dealers have brought in a lot of modifications in millions of vehicles, but the auto giant faces no less than 200 court cases associated with the accidents and the lower resale value of the vehicles.