TOKYO, (AFP) – Suzuki Motor said on Thursday it was recalling more than 430,000 Suzuki and Mazda brand small vans in Japan to fix defective air conditioning units that could catch fire.

“We sincerely apologise to users for causing inconvenience,” Suzuki said in a statement on the recall of 2005 to 2009 models of its “Every” van and the “Mazda Scrum”, which Suzuki built for the partner company.

Suzuki said in its filing with the transport ministry that it had received 85 complaints, including of two cases of fire, caused by the defect, which it linked to electrical damage caused by rainwater intrusion.

The recall comes at a sensitive time for Japan’s auto sector as industry leader Toyota Motor is recalling more than eight million vehicles worldwide for defects linked with dozens of deaths in the United States.

Auto recalls are routine in the industry, particularly for moderate defects, but Toyota has come under fire particularly over the accelerator system defects, and for its slow response to them.

Company president Akio Toyoda, grandson of the founder, apologised during a grilling by US lawmakers on Wednesday and pledged to personally drive reforms to rebuild the company’s tarnished reputation for safety.

In other auto recalls in Japan, Nissan Motor said Thursday it would pull for repairs more than 76,000 vehicles to fix poorly connected electrical wires which it said could cause the engines to stop.

There was no report of accidents but the company had received 161 complaints, it said in a document filed with the transport ministry.

Daihatsu Motor meanwhile announced a recall of more than 60,000 vehicles for faulty airbags that its said could accidentally inflate. Two complaints were filed, but no accidents reported, the company said.