By Li Hongmei
Volkswagen is to recall 640,390 cars in China to fix gearbox flaws, the biggest such move by Europe's top carmaker, China's top quality watchdog said yesterday.
Audi, Tiguan, Golf, Passat and Lavida models from the German auto giant are involved in the recall, which will begin on November 25, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said.
Globally, Volkswagen is recalling around 1.68 million vehicles. It said mineral oil used in dual-clutch gearboxes could cause electronics to malfunction and lead to overheating and security problems.
"We sincerely apologize to our customers for any inconvenience caused," the company said in a statement.
It was the second recall to be announced by the firm in 24 hours. On Wednesday, Volkswagen announced a recall of more than 207,000 sport-utility vehicles sold in China over a possible defect in lights.
In March, Volkswagen said it would recall 384,181 vehicles in China over gearbox defects.
That move came after a China Central Television program that claimed Volkswagen had used substandard gearboxes in some models, causing acceleration problems and accidents.
In the latest recall, Volkswagen China and its joint ventures will contact users and help them replace mineral oil with synthetic oil and upgrade controlling software for free, the company said.
The affected vehicles were mainly produced and sold from 2009 to 2013.
Updated information is available from the regulator's website (www.aqsip.gov.cn), the industry website (www.qiche365.org.cn) and Volkswagen hotlines 400-817-188 and 400-820-111 as well as the regulator's hotlines 010-59799616 and 010-65537365.
China, the world's largest auto market, is critically important for foreign car companies in the face of weak demand elsewhere, especially in Europe.
Chrysler, Toyota and Mitsubishi also announced recalls for various problems recently.
In 2009 and 2010, Toyota recalled 10 million vehicles for potential flaws related to unintended acceleration.
The use of increasingly sophisticated technologies in new models had also brought safety problems, according to industry insiders.
