Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The Mazda 3 - known as Axela in Japan - is among those being recalled

Japanese carmaker Mazda has said it is recalling 2.2 million cars worldwide because of a defect in their tailgates.

The recall affects about 400,000 cars in Japan and 1.8 million sold on export markets.

The cause of the recall is paint having been wrongly applied to the tailgate, which could lead to corrosion. The issue has not led to any injuries or accidents.

Six models are affected, including the Mazda 3 and the CX-3 SUV.

The vehicles in question were produced between December 2007 and 2015.

In addition, the carmaker recalled another 110,000 cars sold domestically because of a computer issue with their diesel engines.

Mazda is Japan's fifth largest carmaker.