German luxury automaker BMW is recalling 350,800 BMW and Rolls-Royce vehicles worldwide owing to brake problems a spokesman stressed were "without danger."
The United States was most affected by the recall, with a total of 198,000 vehicles.
It concerned braking systems that could become "slightly more difficult to use" following an extended period of operation, according to the spokesperson.
BMW is the world-leading premium automobile manufacturer and the U.S. market is its most important after Germany.
"It's a voluntary recall, we took it upon ourselves," said a BMW spokesperson in Britain. "It affects large-engined 5-, 6- and 7-series (BMWs) and Rolls-Royce cars."
Large engined models are those equipped with V8 and V12 engines.
"The potential fault is a small leak that could develop in the power-assisted braking system ... if there is a leak the car would lose some breaking power but should still be able to stop," the UK spokesman said.
"Not all the vehicles are necessarily affected by the problem," but owners should nonetheless bring them in for checks, the German spokesman said.
No accidents have been reported and a simple parts replacement would clear up the problem, he said.
Last year, BMW sold 1,068,770 of its own brand automobiles and 1,002 Rolls-Royce worldwide.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2010
