China urges VW, GM and Daimler to speed Takata airbag recalls
China’s product quality watchdog has urged Volkswagen Group, General Motors and Daimler AG to speed up recalls of vehicles with faulty airbags made by Japanese supplier Takata Corp.
Last week, China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine summoned executives of the three carmakers for a meeting in Beijing.
The three automakers have recalled only a few vehicles for tests, and they have failed to mount comprehensive recalls, the agency said in a statement.
The agency called on the three companies to act promptly to “fulfill their legal responsibilities for recalls of defective vehicles.”
Other automakers in China have taken more aggressive action. China FAW Group, a partner of Mazda Motor Corp., said Friday that it will recall more than 680,000 Mazda cars to replace Takata airbags.
The recall covers Mazda6 vehicles manufactured in China from 2008 through 2016, and it follows an earlier recall of 280,000 Mazda6 models manufactured between 2003 and 2008 for a similar issue.
Takata’s inflators are prone to malfunction when exposed for long periods to heat and humidity. During a crash, the inflators occasionally explode, spewing metal shards into the cabin.
Last month, Takata declared bankruptcy, and U.S. airbag maker Key Safety Systems announced plans to buy the Japanese supplier’s assets for $1.6 billion.
To date, carmakers in China have recalled nearly 10.6 million vehicles equipped with Takata airbags, according to the administration.
VW and GM are the two largest automakers in China. For the first six months, GM China delivered 1.77 million vehicles in China, down 2.5 percent from the same period last year. Volkswagen has yet to disclose its sales for the period.
Mercedes-Benz, Daimler’s luxury brand, has been challenging Audi AG and BMW AG to be the top-selling luxury brand in China. For the first six months, Mercedes’s China sales surged nearly 35 percent to 292,679 vehicles.
The three automakers have recalled only a few vehicles for tests, and they have failed to mount comprehensive recalls, the agency said in a statement.
The agency called on the three companies to act promptly to “fulfill their legal responsibilities for recalls of defective vehicles.”
Other automakers in China have taken more aggressive action. China FAW Group, a partner of Mazda Motor Corp., said Friday that it will recall more than 680,000 Mazda cars to replace Takata airbags.
The recall covers Mazda6 vehicles manufactured in China from 2008 through 2016, and it follows an earlier recall of 280,000 Mazda6 models manufactured between 2003 and 2008 for a similar issue.
Takata’s inflators are prone to malfunction when exposed for long periods to heat and humidity. During a crash, the inflators occasionally explode, spewing metal shards into the cabin.
Last month, Takata declared bankruptcy, and U.S. airbag maker Key Safety Systems announced plans to buy the Japanese supplier’s assets for $1.6 billion.
To date, carmakers in China have recalled nearly 10.6 million vehicles equipped with Takata airbags, according to the administration.
VW and GM are the two largest automakers in China. For the first six months, GM China delivered 1.77 million vehicles in China, down 2.5 percent from the same period last year. Volkswagen has yet to disclose its sales for the period.
Mercedes-Benz, Daimler’s luxury brand, has been challenging Audi AG and BMW AG to be the top-selling luxury brand in China. For the first six months, Mercedes’s China sales surged nearly 35 percent to 292,679 vehicles.
