Toyota is recalling 412,000 passenger cars, mostly the Avalon model, in the U.S. for steering problems in which three accidents have been reported, the automaker said Thursday.

It?s down to the wire for the Progressive Insurance Automotive X-Prize ? a competition announced in April 2008 as a way to spur the development of clean, high-mileage vehicles.

Just over a decade ago, electric cars were expensive niche vehicles. Now, Nissan and General Motors are competing to sell the most affordable electric car to middle-class America.