Toyota Motor Corp said on Tuesday it has been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury in New York to turn in documents related to a problem with a component in the steering mechanism in some of its vehicles.

Toyota said in a statement it would cooperate with the probe and is preparing its response.

A Toyota subsidiary received the subpoena on June 29, a spokeswoman said.

The quality of Toyota's cars -- once a benchmark for the industry -- has come under scrutiny after the world's top automaker recalled more than 10 million vehicles globally since late last year, mostly due to problems of unintended acceleration.

The company also received in February a federal grand jury subpoena for documents related to unintended acceleration and braking, followed by another subpoena in March from Michigan's attorney general for information on recalls.

Before the announcement, Toyota shares closed down 2.6 percent. The benchmark Nikkei average was down 1.2 percent.

(Reporting by Sachi Izumi)

Michigan Toyota