Honda to Recall 250K Cars Over Braking Issue

Honda Motor (NYSE:HMC) said it will recall nearly 250,000 vehicles worldwide over braking problems resulting from a possible vehicle stability assist malfunction.

In the U.S., Honda will recall 101,000 Pilot vehicles from model year 2005; 60,000 Acura MDX vehicles and 21,000 Acura RL vehicles from 2005; and approximately 800 Acura MDX vehicles from model year 2006.

Honda said no crashes or injuries related to this issue have been reported.

The Japanese automaker said if an electrical capacitor on the stability assist control unit was damaged during manufacture, the system could malfunction and apply a small amount of brake force for a fraction of a second. Also, if a malfunction occurs while a driver applies the brakes, the amount of brake force could exceed the driver’s intended input.

Honda and Acura dealers will install a new electrical sub-harness free of charge, the company said.

The company added that out of the recalled Pilot vehicles, approximately 51,000 will also be inspected to check that an electrical ground bolt for the stability assist system is properly tightened. Dealers would simply have to tighten the bolt if necessary, Honda said.

Honda will notify owners of the recalled vehicles in mid-April.

A recall will also be issued for vehicles in other countries, including Japan, Canada and Mexico.

Shares of Honda were down 13 cents to $38.97 a share in early morning trading Thursday.