Toyota subsidiary Daihatsu recalls 275,000 vehicles

Daihatsu Motor Co., a subsidiary of embattled Toyota, said on Thursday it was recalling almost 275,000 vehicles due to possible defects, the latest in a raft of problems hitting Japanese carmakers.

The move comes as Toyota, which owns a stake of over 51 per cent 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.

Toyota, which overtook General Motors in 2008 to become world number one, 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.