DETROIT, April 14 (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (Tokyo:7267.T - News) has recalled about 650,000 of its minivans and sport utility vehicles sold in the United States and Canada to fix a potential problem with the transmission, the Japanese automaker said on Wednesday.

The recall includes certain model year 2002, 2003 and early 2004 Honda Odyssey minivans; 2003 and early 2004 Honda Pilot SUVs; and 2001 and 2002 Acura MDX SUVs, all equipped with V-6 engines and five-speed automatic transmissions.

The gear teeth in the transmission could chip or break, resulting in abnormal noise or in rare instances, possible locking of the transmission, creating a potential safety hazard, Honda said.

Honda is aware of 10 incidents of transmission failure, but there were no injuries or accidents resulting from the condition, the automaker said.

Honda will begin notifying owners of affected vehicles by mail in May, and they will be asked to take their vehicle to an authorized Honda or Acura dealer to be repaired free of charge. In most cases, the repair involves a simple gear inspection, and a modification to increase the flow of transmission fluid to the affected gear. Honda will replace the transmission assembly at no cost if necessary.

The recall includes 600,000 vehicles sold in the United States and about 50,000 in Canada.

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