Honda has announced a global recall of roughly 250,000 vehicles worldwide due to a braking issue. More than 180,000 of the vehicles being recalled are in the United States.
On Thursday, the car manufacturing titan announced the recall of four vehicle models prompted by a possible malfunction of the stability assist system. While Honda claims that no injuries have been reported so far, the company did acknowledge that it’s received numerous consumer complaints regarding the issue.
Included in the domestic portion of the Honda recall are roughly 100,000 Pilot SUVs; 60,000 Acura MDX crossover SUVs; and just over 21,000 Acura RL sedans. All of the affected models were manufactured between 2004 and 2005.
The Honda recall also includes roughly 800 of its 2006 Acura MDX vehicles in the United States. Japan has also been affected by the recall with several thousand Honda Odyssey minivans distributed in the country added to the list.
According to Honda, an electrical capacitor on the vehicle’s stability assist system could malfunction. If that happens, the system could apply a quick amount of brake force without any input from the driver.
If the brakes are manually applied during a system malfunction, the resulting force could be greater than what the driver intended. Either of the malfunctions could result in unexpected brake activation, increasing crash risk.
Honda claims that the recall was not prompted by any specific incident. The car company contends that it’s been monitoring the issue for few years after receiving complaints from consumers. However, media sources have speculated that the recall might be traced to one particular driver.
Carrie Carvalho of Arlington, Massachusetts, filed a formal defect petition with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in April 2012. She expressed concerns regarding braking issues with her Honda vehicle and cited 38 complaints to Honda from other owners and requested a review into the matter.
Carvalho claims to have encountered personal experience with the malfunction addressed in the Honda recall. On two occasions in 2010, the brakes on her 2005 model Pilot activated on their own causing the vehicle to veer off course. She further claims that contacting Honda directly did nothing to resolve the matter .
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration responded to Carvalho’s complaint in October by conducting a preliminary investigation into the Honda situation. In February, it stepped up the inquiry, launching an in-depth analysis into the engineering malfunction.
Honda is now encouraging owners of the recalled vehicles to visit an authorized dealer for repair. The company plans to inform affected consumers through a mailing scheduled to begin next month. Once a notification has been received, customers can have their vehicles repaired by Honda and Acura dealerships at no cost.
Will you be affected by the new Honda recall?