TOKYO (AP) -- Nissan Motor Co. said Friday it was recalling more than 1 million vehicles because of problems with the gas tanks.

The recall affects 1,015,306 units of the company's March and Cube subcompacts that were manufactured between 1991 and 2000, spokeswoman Pauline Kee said.

The vehicles can have small cracks in the gas tanks that leak fuel fumes. Nissan will repair the problem free of charge.

"It creates an uncomfortable smell," Kee said. "It's not a safety problem."

Nissan expects the recall to cost 3 billion yen (US$25.6 million; euro19.2 million).

About 4,000 of the vehicles were sold overseas, mostly in Southeast Asia. About 600,000 of the affected vehicles are expected to still be on the road.

A check with Singapore's Nissan distributor, Tan Chong Motor, revealed that they were in the process of working with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to find out exactly how many of these cars are still on the road, as it is believed that the majority of the affected cars have already been scrapped.

No incidents as a result of the gas tank fault have been reported to date.

Tan Chong Motor will contact affected owners to schedule service appointments.