Honda Motor Co. Ltd. is recalling more than 400,000 Odyssey and Element vehicles after complaints about a potential problem with the brake pedals.

The Japanese automaker’s American Honda Motor Co. subsidiary said Tuesday the recall applies to 344,000 Odyssey minivans made in Lincoln, Ala., and 68,000 Element utility vehicles assembled in East Liberty. The recall is confined to 2007 and 2008 models.

The potential problem lies in the automobiles’ vehicle stability assist modulator, which could slowly take in air and cause the brake pedal to go soft.

Honda (NYSE: HMC) spokesman Chris Martin said the recall was triggered by several factors, including customer complaints, a government probe of the brakes and three crashes involving Odysseys and Elements with the reported brake problems. The automaker, whose North American manufacturing headquarters are in Marysville, said it wasn’t aware if those crashes were directly linked to the VSA modulator questions.

Owners will be notified starting at the end of April to schedule repairs at dealerships. After April 19, owners will be able to go to recalls.honda.com or call 1-800-999-1009 to determine whether their vehicle is included in the recall.

“This is a slow, progressive accumulation of air in the brake line that would occur over a long period of time,” Martin said. “Someone who drives it everyday would notice a change in the brake pedal position.”

The recall is the second this year for Honda, which in February said it needed to make fixes on nearly 379,000 2001 and 2002 Accords, Civics, Odysseys, CR-Vs and Acura TLs. That recall, an expansion of a 2008 recall, came after Honda tracked four instances in which the inflator of the driver’s-side airbag could produce too much force and rupture, potentially sending metal fragments through the cushion.

Both recalls surfaced amid a massive recall of millions of vehicles by rival Toyota Motor Corp. over faulty accelerators and a software-related brake problem. Honda has said its recalls haven’t been prompted by Toyota’s problems.

Toyota (NYSE: TM) bases its Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America headquarters in Erlanger, Ky. Toyota has operations in Troy, with dozens of suppliers in the Dayton region.

Honda bases its North American production headquarters in Marysville. The automaker employs about 2,750 people at its Dayton-area engine plant in Anna and operates a 600,000-square-foot distribution hub in Troy.

The automaker also recently reopened its former motorcycle plant in Marysville with a revamped use and 50 jobs.

E-mail dayton@bizjournals.com

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