Toyota Motor Corp., the world's biggest carmaker, is adding offices in Texas and Florida to catch potential defects at an early stage a year after recalling millions of U.S. vehicles.

The new Houston and Jacksonville operations follow similar field offices opened in New York and San Francisco last year to evaluate and respond to customers' safety and quality concerns, Toyota said today in a statement. It plans to open a fifth office in Denver in the first quarter of 2011, Toyota said.

After recalling U.S. vehicles for sticky accelerator pedals, Toyota is still working to regain its reputation for quality, reported The Detroit News. The impact of a series of recalls last year led Toyota to report a 0.4 percent U.S. sales decline for the period, bucking the industry's 11 percent annual gain.

Technicians at the regional offices will investigate customer complaints and research specific vehicle issues, the company said. The Jacksonville office will specialize in heating, ventilation and air conditioning problems, while Houston will focus on trucks and chassis components, Toyota said.

The Denver office will evaluate sport-utility vehicles and performance in high-altitude areas, the company said. Toyota's U.S. sales unit is based in Torrance, California.