Tokyo - Japan's third-largest carmaker Nissan Motor said on Thursday it was recalling more than 2.1 million cars globally due to a faulty engine control system.
Nissan will exchange for free defective parts on certain models, as the fault may "cause the engine to stall while running", the company said in a report to the Japanese transport ministry.
In Japan alone, Nissan will recall a total of 834 759 vehicles of nine models, including the Cube, March and Tiida, produced domestically between 2003 and 2006, the spokesperson said.
Nissan will also recall 761 528 vehicles in North America, 354 170 in Europe and 194 409 in the China and Taiwan markets because of the same system trouble, the spokesperson added.
No accident has been reported in connection with the problem, another spokesperson said, adding: "We will replace the parts in other countries as well, following the regulations of each country."
Nissan, which is part-owned by Renault of France, separately said it would recall another 1 399 cars in Japan because of insufficient welding of rear cushion springs, "which may come out in the worst case".
The two sets of recalls, announced shortly before Thursday's close of trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, did not immediately affect shares in Nissan, which rose 0.27% as the Nikkei index fell 0.22%.
Japan's top carmakers have been bedevilled by recall woes in recent months.
Toyota, the world's largest automaker, has been battered by a global recall crisis that has affected more than 10 million vehicles worldwide.
Toyota said last week it would voluntarily recall another 1.5 million cars globally over a brake fluid leak, while Honda announced the recall of nearly 528 000 vehicles due to a defect with the cylinder.