Honda recalls 250,000 vehicles for brake defect

Honda will recall 250,000 vehicles worldwide -- most of which are in the United States -- to repair a defect that can interfere with braking, the Japanese automaker said Thursday. Honda said it had received several complaints about problems with the stability assist system, but no accidents or injuries were reported. It discovered that the system can malfunction and "apply a small amount of brake force for a fraction of a second, without any input by the driver," Honda said in a statement. If a driver applies the brakes during a malfunction "the amount of brake force applied could exceed the driver's intended input." "In either instance, unexpected brake activation could increase the risk of a crash," Honda warned. The US recall affects 101,000 Honda Pilot vehicles, 60,000 Acura MDX vehicles and 21,000 Acura RL vehicles from the 2005 model year along with 800 Acura MDX vehicles from the 2006 model year. Smaller recalls in other markets will bring the total to 249,686 vehicles, a Honda spokesperson told AFP.