Japanese car giant Honda recalls 250,000 vehicles worldwide over a braking problem

Japanese car giant Honda is recalling nearly 250,000 vehicles worldwide over a braking problem.

No crashes have been reported related to the defect which means that the brakes can suddenly activate even when the driver is not braking.

Honda said today that it was recalling more than 183,000 vehicles in the US, including the Acura RL, Acura MDX and Pilot models.

More than 56,000 vehicles were recalled in Japan, affecting the Odyssey, Legend, StepWgn and Elysion models.

Also being recalled are nearly 8,000 vehicles in Canada, nearly 1,000 in Australia, about 300 in Mexico and 70 in Germany. The vehicles were produced between March 2004 and May 2006.

Some drivers have complained about the problem, including 17 in Japan and one in the US.

The problem is caused by improper electronics and wiring in the vehicle-stability-assist system.

AP