Honda Motor Co is recalling about 21,700 of its current-model compact Honda Civic cars due to the possibility that fuel will leak in a roll-over crash, the company and U.S. regulators said on Thursday.

If a vehicle is involved in a roll-over crash, a cracked roll-over valve may allow fuel leakage from the gasoline tank into the evaporative emissions canister, Honda said in a statement. No crashes or injuries have been reported related to this defect.

More than 18,000 cars will be recalled in the United States and about more than 3,600 in Canada, the company said.

The fuel valve issue is related to cars built in the United States and in Canada, the company said.

Honda said that about 1 percent of the recalled 2011 model year vehicles are likely to have the problem. In a roll-over crash, a fire could occur, said the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Owners of the recalled vehicles will be informed by mail by mid-April, the company said.

(Reporting by Bernie Woodall, Detroit News Bureau; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

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