* Up to $4,500 voucher for car/truck purchases

* Plan would help U.S. manufacturers sell SUVs, pickups

* Senate wrangling clouds immediate prospects (Adds house passage, carmakers' support)

By John Crawley

WASHINGTON, June 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation on Tuesday intended to spur auto sales by providing consumers with up to $4 billion in cash vouchers to buy more fuel-efficient cars and trucks.

The bill, known as "cash for clunkers", would extend up to $4,500 for gas guzzler trade-ins.

Supporters tout the potential economic and environmental benefits of vehicles that require less fuel and burn what they use more cleanly.

"History shows that one of the quickest ways to end a recession is to sell more automobiles," said Representative Gary Peters of Michigan, whose district includes Chrysler LLC's headquarters, several General Motors Corp GMGMQ.PK, facilities and numerous suppliers.

Automakers also threw their support behind the plan, whichcovers vehicles sold by all manufacturers but may give a bigger boost overall to U.S. carmakers, two of which -- Chrysler and GM -- are bankrupt.