Daihatsu recalls 275,000 vehicles

Japan’s automaker Daihatsu executive Katsuyuki Kamio posing with the new roomy SUV “Atrai Wagon” at the company’s showroom in Tokyo.

Daihatsu Motor Co., a subsidiary of embattled Toyota, said yesterday it was recalling almost 275,000 vehicles due to defects, the latest in a raft of problems hitting Japanese carmakers.
The move comes as Toyota, which owns a stake of over 51 percent in the small-car specialist, pulls more than eight million of its own cars worldwide because of problems with the accelerator and braking systems.
Daihatsu said its recall mostly involved a missing or loose bolt in the suspension system, while further problems involve the risk of loose fuel hoses or defective brake lights. No accidents have been reported, however, it said.
Models with the suspension problem are Hijet mini trucks and vans built in 2004-2008 and 2005-2008 Atrai wagons. Loose fuel hoses affect the Move Conte and Mira minicars, known overseas as the Cuore, Domino or Charade.
A handful of Hijet trucks built earlier this year are affected by the faulty brake lights. Daihatsu said that among the recalled vehicles, 449 were exported overseas, although it did not specify to which regions.
Toyota, which overtook General Motors in 2008 to become the world’s biggest automaker, has seen its reputation severely tarnished by a litany of complaints ranging from unintended acceleration to brake failure and steering problems.
It is not the only Japanese maker fixing faulty vehicles.
Nissan said last week it would recall nearly 540,000 vehicles worldwide due to brake and fuel gauge problems, while Honda last month pulled more than 400,000 vehicles to fix airbags that could explode and spray out metal shards.