I agree with @Larry K. on both his comments. I don't see any brick expansion joints so mother nature was going to break the bricks where she wanted. The bricks broke due to shear structural forces as they broke in a straight line. I would look at the walls and see if they are bowing outward. If so, this is due to brick expansion. I can't tell if there are weep holes in the bottom they should be about 24" o/c. I would be surprised if this is a composite wall with brick mortared directly to the house sheathing. This isn't standard with wood construction but could be found if cmu constructed but again not common for houses. Bricks expand when they get wet because they are clay products. Bricks look wet as @Jeff Pancone mentioned. I don't see any flashing at the base of the wall which would be below the weep joints. Water has no way of getting out from behind the brick.
As to fix this...
Get 3 quotes from a mason. I would clean out the joints where the cracks are and place backer rod and sealant. I would choose a color darker then the brick to hide the joints. The cost for new brick install would be around $15-20 per sf but we are talking repair so it will be different. Weep holes need to be added or exposed/cleaned out. Might want to add weep holes higher up.
