Honda spokeswoman Natsuno Asanuma said the recall would affect models of its Freed compact minivan, Fit compact car and City sedan, including around 170,000 of the Freed and Fit in Japan.

The recall affects over 220,000 units in Asia, mainly the Southeast Asian ASEAN area, and some 156,000 in China, she said. No accidents associated with the defect have been reported, she added.

Defective spring parts may deteriorate over time resulting in abnormal engine sounds and in the worst case cause stalling and problems restarting.

The latest action follows a recall in December of about 1.35 million Fit sub-compact cars, including 621,000 overseas, to repair a headlight defect.

Honda Motor's net profit for the three months ended December fell nearly 40 percent year-on-year due to the impact of the strong yen and sliding Japanese demand, but in January it lifted its full-year profit forecast.

Its performance overseas in emerging markets and the United States helped Honda lift its full year profit forecast to 530 billion yen, up 97.5 percent year-on-year, compared with a 500 billion yen forecast in October.

Honda shares closed up 1.09 percent in Tokyo ahead of the recall announcement.