Nissan Motor Co. is recalling 140,582 of its 2007 Altima cars, the automaker’s best-selling U.S. vehicle, because the air filter can catch fire if a hot object is drawn into it.

The recall affects Altima cars with a 2.5-liter, four- cylinder engine, the Tokyo-based automaker told the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Nissan told the Washington-based agency it began notifying owners July 3. Four fires were reported in February and March, the company said.

The filter will be replaced because it can ignite if something hot such as cigarette ash enters through the vehicle’s fresh-air intake valve, Nissan said. An air deflector also will be installed to prevent a buildup of debris at the filter.

The Altima accounted for 140,253, or 26 percent, of Nissan’s U.S. sales this year through June. The model was ninth in sales among all cars and light trucks in the U.S. during the period.

The recall affects Altimas built from Sept. 25 to May 11 at its plant in Smyrna, Tenn., and from Oct. 30 to May 11 at its Canton, Miss., factory, Nissan told the agency. The vehicles are under warranty, the company said.

Tony Pearson, a spokesman for Nissan’s Nashville, Tennessee- based U.S. unit, declined to say how much the recall will cost the automaker. Nissan expects to notify all owners by Oct. 1, he said in an interview.

Nissan’s American depositary receipts rose 3 cents to $21.58 at 4 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market composite trading. They have fallen 11 percent this year.