Honda is sending out letters to nearly 80,000 Civic owners notifying them of a potential problem with the hatchback’s handbrake.

A number of customers complained their Honda Civic’s handbrake did not stick when fully applied when pushing the release button.

Now all owners will be receiving a letter from the Japanese car maker telling them to get in touch with their local Honda dealer who will replace the handbrake for free.

The flaw applies to Honda Civics built at the car maker’s Swindon plant between November 2006 and October 2007.

The Honda Civic user manual states the handbrake should be activated by just pulling up the handbrake and not applying the button – which could result in the brake not activating.

A Honda spokesperson said: “As a responsible car manufacturer we felt it was important for us to inform our customers as soon as possible.

“We are asking customers to visit their local Honda dealer and have a new handbrake fitted free of charge. We appreciate that this is an inconvenience for customers.”

It’s believed the problem affects about 1 in every 1,000 Civics.

The latest generation Honda Civic went on sale in 2006 and is an Auto Trader favourite, with the Japanese hatchback famous for its spaceship-like dynamic design.

In 2007, the Type-R hot hatch and Type-S joined the range with an eco-friendly hybrid model going on sale at the end of last year.