Honda is recalling about 748,000 of its popular sport utility vehicles and minivans because the driver’s side air bag may not deploy properly, the automaker informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The models are the 2009-13 Pilot sport utility and 2011-13 Odyssey minivan, the automaker said in its report to the agency that was filed Friday.

Honda said some of the rivets that hold the plastic cover of the air bag might be missing and ‘‘the air bag may not deploy properly, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.’’

The automaker said it was not aware of any crashes or injuries related to the defect.

Honda told the safety agency it first learned of a problem in July when a worker in an assembly plant heard a noise in the steering wheel and found a missing rivet. Honda said it investigated and concluded the missing rivet was ‘‘an isolated incident.’’

But in November another worker found an air bag missing four of the six rivets. That prompted the automaker to investigate, and this month it concluded a recall was needed.