Japanese automaker Honda on Thursday said it was recalling nearly 700,000 vehicles worldwide due to defective parts that could stall the engine and cause problems restarting in certain models.

The move comes after the car giant was forced to call back about 1.35 million vehicles in December and is the latest in a series of recalls to hit Japan's auto industry. Honda said Thursday that defective spring parts had been found in its Freed compact minivan, Fit compact car and City sedan that could deteriorate over time, resulting in abnormal sounds and in the worst case lead to stalling.

Honda spokeswoman Natsuno Asanuma said the firm was recalling 693,497 vehicles globally, including 170,000 of the Freed and Fit models in Japan.

The latest action will affect over 220,000 units in Asia, mainly the Southeast Asian ASEAN area, and about 156,000 in China, she said. Around 97,000 units will be recalled in the United States.

No accidents associated with the defect have been reported, she added.

However, there have been 72 complaints in Japan, the transport ministry said. Two months ago Honda pulled 1.35 million Fit cars, including 621,000 overseas, to repair a headlight defect.

Japan's car giants have seen millions of recalls in the past year, but none have been more affected than Toyota, the world's biggest auto maker.

Toyota became mired in crisis when it recalled nearly nine million vehicles between late 2009 and February last year due to brake and accelerator defects linked to deadly accidents that tarnished its image of reliability.

As criticism mounted of its slow response and bureaucratic inflexibility, Toyota tightened its recall policy and has pulled around 16 million units since late 2009 over a range of issues.