Japanese auto recalls

Toyota Motor (China) Co and Honda Automobile (China) Co announced Thursday that they will recall a combined 7,395 units of defective vehicles for airbag problems in China.

The recall covers 5,032 Toyota VIOS produced in China from October 23, 2002 to April 14, 2003, 51 imported Toyota Corollas and 2,312 Honda Civic, Stream and CR-V vehicles made from April 20, 2000 to May 13, 2003, according to the firms' press releases.

"The recalls ... have become inevitable and noticeable due to the integration of auto equipment applications," Jia Xinguang, an auto industrial analyst, told the Global Times.