More than half-a-million vehicles have been tagged for global recall by Chrysler and Honda, saying defective parts must be replaced or repaired to avert the occurrence of accidents or fire, reports said.

Honda has announced over the weekend that some 489,000 mid-sized CRVs that were rolled out from 2002 to 2006 need to be returned by their owners so repairs can be made on the master power switch located on the driver's side door.

Reported incidents in the United States and the United Kingdom have indicated that water seeping through an open window on that particular door could cause the whole component to overheat during operation and eventually ignite a fire, the Japanese carmaker said.

A protective plate will be installed inside the switch to keep liquid from penetrating the switch box beneath the control panel on the door, Honda said, adding that repair works will commence November, at least in U.S. territory.

The Associated Press (AP) reported on Sunday that 268,000 CRVs have been identified by Honda as likely requiring the switch modification while another 220,000 units in Europe will be subjected to the same repair procedure.

Another 98 units of the same SUV models were traced to have been sold in Africa, Honda said, explaining too that the affected vehicles were manufactured by Honda's car assembly plant in UK.

Pending the repairs needed by the CRVs, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has advised vehicle owners to temporarily park their vehicles outside of the garage or any structures and objects that could easily catch fire.

Honda has admitted that even when not running, a fire on the switch panel could start.

Meanwhile, Chrysler said certain models of Dakota and Ram pick up trucks in the United States need to be submitted for inspection by their owners to check on possible problem on the vehicles' rear axles.

"A rear axle pinion nut in the affected trucks may loosen due to a lack of adhesive normally used to keep the nuts in place. If the nut loosens, the axle can suddenly lock and cause a loss of control that could lead to a crash," The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

Some 44,300 trucks were pinpointed by the U.S. carmaker as needing the repair, most of which were manufactured from 2009 through 2010.

As in previous recall incidents, repairs to be made by both Chrysler and Honda on the affected vehicles will be free of charge, the two companies said.