FAW-Volkswagen demanded to submit recall materials

China's quality watchdog demanded joint-venture FAW-Volkswagen submit new materials to verify the effectiveness of a latest recall due to defective rear axles.

On Oct. 17, the company announced a recall of more than 581,000 cars, including its New Sagitar and Beetle vehicles, as the trailing arm of the rear axles could rupture in certain scenarios. It offered to place a metal plate in the trailing arm to ensure the proper operation in case of a rupture.

However, the move aroused dissatisfaction among car users who had hoped for a more thorough solution by replacing the whole rear suspension. Protests were held by car owners in major cities, including Shanghai and Shenzhen.

China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) said in a statement on Saturday that its defective product management center has ordered the company to provide further materials for verifying the recall measure's effectiveness.

The AQSIQ also ordered its management center to devote more technological resources to the case and organize assessment of FAW-Volkswagen's recall by inspection bodies and industry experts.

The center asked affected car owners to contact the company's dealers for examination in the case of a trailing arm deformation or a rupture, and also report the problem to the center online, the statement said.

Since the launch of an inspection into the company's products in August, the AQSIQ met with representatives from the company, telephoned more than 3,000 customers who filed complaints and went to 11 cities for field surveys and vehicle examinations.

The management center has invited experts to conduct analysis of the broken parts and asked national level inspection bodies to have other related tests. "The work is still going on," the statement said.

Sagitar is one of the most popular sedan models sold in China. In the first nine month of this year, 235,000 Sagitars were sold, ranking the fourth among all sedan models.