Honda recalls 11,500 CBR 250R bikes

Japanese auto giant Honda on Monday announced to recall 11,500 units of Standard variant of its premium motorcycle CBR 250R, which were produced and sold in India, due to defective brake system.

The company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, is recalling the bikes, which were produced from March 2011 to September 2012.

"In accordance with its global commitment to provide maximum customer satisfaction and highest quality products, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) is announcing the recall of CBR 250R Standard variant motorcycle," HMSI said in a statement.

The company's exclusive authorised dealerships across the country have started informing the customers from today for this exercise, which will take less than an hour, it added.

Elaborating on the problem, HMSI said: "There is a possibility of limited ineffectiveness in front brake application, though this concern doesn't impact the overall braking functionality and effectiveness of front and rear brakes under normal riding conditions."

HMSI said it is recalling 11,500 units of the CBR 250R Standard variant, which were manufactured in India between March 2011 and September 2012.

"Honda will rectify the problem free of cost, irrespective to the warranty status of the vehicle," the company said.

The Standard variant of the CBR 250R is currently available for Rs 1.48 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

Commenting on this exercise, HMSI said: "This voluntary move, the first time by any two-wheeler manufacturer in India, is intrinsic to Honda's pro-activeness as a responsible manufacturer, which will further enhance ownership experience and strengthen customer trust and confidence in the brand."

The move is probably the first for the Japanese auto giant's two-wheeler arm in India, although its passenger car division has had many such instances here in recent past.

Last year, Honda's erstwhile joint venture, Honda Siel Cars India (HSCI), had recalled 72,115 units of its mid-sized sedan City to replace the defective power window switches.

Earlier in 2011, HSCI had announced a similar recall of 57,853 units of its third generation City to replace a faulty engine part, as part of a global exercise.

In January 2010 also, it had recalled 8,532 units of the City, manufactured in 2007. In 2007, HSCI had recalled about 4,000 units of CR-V and 2,300 units of the luxury sedan Accord, in a move described by the company as product update.

This had led to a total replacement and change in design of CR-V's fuel tank and upgrade of fuel relay in Accord.