VW to recall 4.86 million cars in China
VOLKSWAGEN will recall almost five million vehicles in China over airbag concerns, Chinese authorities said yesterday, dealing a new blow to the German car maker in the world’s largest car market.
VW and its joint ventures with Chinese partners FAW and SAIC will start withdrawing 4.86 million vehicles fitted with potentially faulty airbags, made by Japan’s bankrupt airbag giant Takata, from March, according to China’s top consumer watchdog.
The announcement came just 10 days after VW and its Chinese partners agreed to recall 1.82 million vehicles owing to a faulty fuel pump.
In March, Volkswagen recalled nearly 680 000 premium Audi cars in China over defects in coolant pumps that could lead to engine fires, and a further 572 000 due to potential problems arising from leaks in the panoramic sunroof.
The new recall involved cars made between 2005 and this year, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said.
Of those being recalled, more than 4.7 million were made in China and 103 573 are imports.
Takata has recalled about 100 million airbags produced for some of the largest car makers, including about 70 million in the US, due to the risk that they could improperly inflate and rupture, potentially firing deadly shrapnel at the occupants.
The defect has been linked to 16 deaths and scores of injuries worldwide.
China is a crucial market for VW, which sold nearly four million vehicles in the world’s biggest vehicle market last year.
VW is still trying to recover from the controversy after it admitted in 2015 to equipping its diesel cars with defeat devices to evade emissions tests.
It has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from “dieselgate” and agreed to pay $4.3-billion (R56.5-billion) in penalties – on top of $17.5-billion (R230-billion) in civil settlements.