Thousands of cars were being recalled by a leading manufacturer yesterday because of a fault with the handbrake, which has led to dozens of cars rolling away from where they were parked.

Drivers of more than 79,000 Honda Civics were being urged to have their cars checked after the manufacturer received several complaints and started an investigation.

Engineers found that there was a small safety risk if the release button was knocked by drivers when applying the handbrake. Honda has promised owners a free handbrake to solve the problems.

A spokesman for the company confirmed yesterday that it was sending letters to all Civic customers in Britain advising them to take care when applying the handbrake.

The spokesman said: “As a responsible 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.”

The design flaw applies to Civics that were built between 2006 and 2007.

The Civic is the biggest-selling model for Honda, with about 100,000 a year being produced at its factory in South Marston, near Swindon, Wiltshire, since 1994.