The Honda Motor Company is recalling hundreds of thousands of vehicles, due to a flaw in their braking systems.
The company is recalling a total of 259,829 Hondas and Acuras, including the Honda Pilot, Acura MDX and Acura RL.
The vehicles may have a fault in their engine-control electronics and braking systems. The fault lies in damaged electrical capacitors in the Vehicle Stability Assist, or VSA control modules, which can cause the cars to lightly apply the brakes automatically without any driver input. Honda also noted that while the VSA is undergoing a malfunction, if the driver applies the brakes, the car could stop suddenly.
The recall applies to 2005 model-year Honda Pilots, built between July 29, 2004 and Aug. 29, 2005, 2005 and 2006 model-year Acura MDXs built between Sept. 16, 2004 and Sept. 22, 2005 and 2005 model-year Acura RLs built between March 1, 2004 and June 29, 2005.
In addition to the malfunctioning brake system, some 2005 Honda Pilots have a malfunction that will apply the brakes without illuminating the braking lights, which could cause an accident.
Owners of affected Pilots, MDXs and RLs are asked to bring their cars into dealerships, where dealers will install a “partial wiring harness with a capacitor for the VSA modulator,” reports the Wall Street Journal, and tighten ground connections in the brake lights of affected Honda Pilots, all free of charge.
In a separate recall, Honda has identified 76,253 Acura TSXs that could be affected by road salt corroding the engine control unit (ECU), which could cause a malfunction and can stall the car suddenly. This recall only affects cars in states where corrosive substances, like road salt, are used for clearing streets. These states include Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Washington D.C.. The corrosive substance enters the car on drivers’ shoes, and can soak through the carpet and enter the ECU.
Owners of Acura TSXs affected by the recall are asked to take their car to a dealer, where they will replace the damaged ECUs and install waterproof covers free of charge.
