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1st LD-Writethru-News Analysis: Probe shows FAW-Volkswagen new Sagitars unsafe

Xinhua, September 12, 2015 Adjust font size:

FAW-Volkswagen's New Sagitar compact cars with coupling rods in rear axles are defective and pose safety hazards to users, China's national consumer quality watchdog said after an investigation which began in August 2014.

The trailing arms on the rear suspension may deform in the case of collision and the fatigue life of the arms will drop substantially as the deformation increases, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) said in a statement.

Among 457 cases of deformation or rupture tracked by the AQSIQ, 312 cases, or 68.3 percent of the total, were caused by serious collisions, and 54 were caused by slight collisions or bumps.

Following mounting complaints from Sagitar owners in China, FAW-Volkswagen announced a massive recall of Sagitar and Beetle vehicles in October 2014 and placed metal plates on the trailing arms to ensure the proper operation in case of a rupture.

However, the move dissatisfied drivers who had hoped for a more thorough solution by replacing the whole rear suspension.

The investigation found the metal plate raised the rods' resistance to deformation and lower the possibility of deformation, but still did not eliminate the problem.

The company claimed the metal plate would produce a "continuous warning noise" in the case of ruptures, but the AQSIQ's experiment shows the noise may be hard to detect on flat roads.

"There is a risk that drivers will lose control when the plate also ruptures if a trailing arm rupture was not detected," the statement said.

The AQSIQ said the company should raise the ratio of recalled vehicles, monitor vehicles patched with metal plates and take more measures to resolve the issue.

FAW-Volkswagen is a Jilin-based joint venture between Chinese automaker FAW Group and Germany's Volkswagen Group. Its Sagitar is one of the most popular compact cars in China.

Late Friday, the company said in a statement that it "respects and accepts the investigation result issued by the AQSIQ," and vowed to take more measures to thoroughly eliminate car owners' worries.

It promised to replace the defective vehicles with new ones when the trailing arm in rear axles ruptures without collision within 10 years after the metal plates were installed, the statement said.

Owners who meet this condition can change for a new Sagitar or Beetle car of the same price as the invoice price of the defective one, or pay the price difference to buy a more expensive car under the same models.

The company will open "an exclusive passage" for contacting owners who have not participated in the recall and request them to have the metal plates installed.

The statement said 85.2 percent of defective Sagitar cars and 85.6 percent of Beetle cars affected by the problem had been recalled by Thursday.

The company will also offer free maintenances to affected owners and facilitate the trailing arm examination by offering procedural and technological support to qualified institutions.

Data from the China Passenger Car Association showed that FAW-Volkswagen's sales dropped by 13.59 percent year on year to 1.04 million vehicles in the first eight months, far from its annual target of selling 1.85 million cars. Endi