Daihatsu Motor Co., a subsidiary of embattled Toyota, said Thursday it was recalling almost 275,000 vehicles due to possible defects, the latest in a raft of problems hitting Japanese carmakers.

The move comes as Toyota, which owns a stake of over 51 percent in the small-car specialist, pulls more than eight million of its own cars worldwide because of problems with the accelerator and braking systems.

Daihatsu said its recall mostly involved a missing or loose bolt in the suspension system, while further problems involve the risk of loose fuel hoses or defective brake lights.

Toyota, which overtook General Motors in 2008 to become world number one, has seen its reputation severely tarnished by a litany of complaints ranging from unintended acceleration to brake failure and steering problems.

It is not the only Japanese maker fixing faulty vehicles.

Nissan said last week it would recall nearly 540,000 vehicles worldwide due to brake and fuel gauge problems, while Honda last month pulled more than 400,000 vehicles to fix airbags that could explode and spray out metal shards.

Daihatsu Motor Co., a unit of the Japanese auto giant Toyota Motor, said Friday it has developed a new fuel cell technology that eliminates the need for platinum.

Until now, the precious metal has been an essential material in the electrode catalyst in conventional fuel cells for automobiles, said the company, which specialises in manufacturing small vehicles.

"This proprietary fuel cell technology provides numerous benefits, including resource conservation, low cost, high output, and safe and easy fuel handling," the company said in a statement.

"With the goal of helping to preserve the global environment, Daihatsu will accelerate further research and development of this technology," it said.

Japanese electronics and automakers have been active in development of fuel cell technology, which uses chemical agents, such as hydrogen and oxygen, to generate electricity with little impact on the environment.