Ford Japan Ltd. will recall 13,729 units of its Explorer sport utility vehicle in Japan due to a defect in the speed control deactivation system that could catch fire, according to a report filed with the transport ministry.
The vehicles subject to the recall were manufactured between November 1994 and August 2002, the ministry said.
Although there have been no reports of any fires in Japan, there have been numerous reports in the United States, where about 4.5 million of the car have been recalled, according to the ministry.
In its report to the ministry, Ford said a structural flaw in the cruise control deactivation switch could cause a fire as brake fluid could leak and overheat.
Ford recalled a total of 2,000 units of its cars in 2006 and 2007 in Japan for the same defect, but it filed an additional recall report because the manufacturing dates were expanded for cars subject to recalls in the U.S.