NISSAN WILL recall more than two million vehicles globally over an ignition problem that may cause the engine to stop running. Up to 7,000 Irish cars could be affected.

A problem has been identified in a relay in the ignition system that could, at the worst, cause the car to stop. However, no accidents have been attributed to this potential fault, and Nissan is recalling the cars as a precaution.

The fix will be carried out on a list of cars made between 2003 and 2006. It will apply mainly to some Micra and Note drivers in Ireland, although in other markets it could include the Cube, Tiida saloon and Titan pick-up.

A spokesperson for Nissan Ireland, speaking to The Irish Times yesterday, said there have been only a handful of incidents of the problem occurring and none of them affected the safety of the car. None of these occurred in Ireland.

“We are unsure of the exact number of cars with this issue here in Ireland, but we would stress that it is a very minor one, and there have been no record of the fault in Ireland,” the spokesman said.

“We will be contacting Shannon [Department of the Environment] to find out exact numbers. From there we will contact customers. The fix will take 15 minutes, and will be carried out free of charge to customers.”

Recalls exceeding one million vehicles have become more common at big manufacturers as they use common components across multiple models to save design and production costs.

Last week Toyota announced a recall of 1.66 million vehicles globally for defects involving the brake master cylinder and fuel pump wiring.