Japanese carmakers may shift some production to weekends this summer as they aim to cut power use by 25 percent to avoid blackouts stemming from the March 11 disaster.

Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. are among 12 carmakers considering the change, which will help automakers avoid a reduction in production hours because of power shortages, Toshiyuki Shiga, chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, said in Tokyo on Wednesday.

The nation's carmakers are working to restore full operations after last month's magnitude 9.0 temblor and tsunami damaged factories and created shortages of parts and electricity.

The natural disasters reduced the nation's power-generating capacity by 8 percent, leading to a potential shortfall of 10,000 megawatts this summer, JAMA said.

"These measures have been devised to avoid blackouts at all costs," Shiga said.

Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant was crippled by the earthquake and tsunami and has been leaking radiation. The auto group expects the utility to increase power supply by July 31, he said.

JAMA's power-saving plan applies to areas supplied by Tepco and Tohoku Electric Power Co., he said. JAMA is asking other industries to shift manufacturing to the weekend, when there is less electricity demand, Shiga said.

Nissan, Japan's second-largest automaker, plans to shift some production to weekends across the country and not just in the regions supplied by Tepco and Tohoku Electric, said Shiga, who also is Nissan's chief operating officer. The company also is considering shifting working hours to avoid peak afternoon times, he said.

Toyota, which expects manufacturing to return to normal levels by December, may lose production of 300,000 vehicles in Japan and 100,000 overseas through the end of this month due to quake-related shutdowns, Executive Vice President Atsushi Niimi said last week.

The company is unlikely to meet its full-year global production target of 7.7 million vehicles, he said.

About 150 parts, mainly materials such as rubber and plastics, are still in critically short supply, President Akio Toyoda said April 22.

Honda's car and parts output in Japan will remain at 50 percent of regular capacity until June 30, the company said Wednesday. Production will return to normal levels by year's end, it said.

Nissan's April production is "slightly above" 40 percent of the volume a year ago, and the company is aiming to operate at levels higher than planned next month, Nissan said. That will depend on suppliers' ability to delivery parts, it said.

Japan-built cars have levels of radiation "that won't affect the health" of buyers, citing safety standards from the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency and International Atomic Energy Agency, Shiga said.

Toyota to recall pickups

NEW YORK (Kyodo) Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it will recall about 55,000 pickup trucks sold in the United States and other markets over a defective component of the rear drive shaft.

The recall covers 2011 model year Tundra pickup trucks also sold in Canada and in Central and South America, according to Toyota.

Of the total, about 51,000 units are in the United States, it said. Tundra trucks are not sold in Japan.