Honda Recalls 646,000 Small Cars Globally for Faulty Window Switch

TOKYO - Honda Motor Co. recalled 646,000 of its Fit/Jazz and City automobiles globally over a faulty window switch after a child died when fire broke out in a car last year, Reuters reported.

The recall includes 141,084 vehicles in the United States and covers the models sold in North America, South America, Europe, South Africa and Asia, but not Japan, a spokeswoman said.

The Fit is Honda's best-selling model in Japan.

The U.S. recall covers Fits from model years 2007 and 2008, Honda spokeswoman Christina Ra said.

Earlier this week, Toyota Motor Corp. announced it would extend to Europe and China a recall of millions of vehicles due to faulty accelerator pedals and floor mats.

Honda said the recall was to fix a defective master switch, which could cause water to enter the power window switch and in some cases cause a fire.

There were three reported cases of fires due to the defect, two in the United States and one in South Africa, the spokeswoman said.