Under mounting pressure, VW agrees to recall vehicles in China
Volkswagen Group agreed Saturday to recall vehicles fitted with its direct shift gearboxes after coming under renewed pressure from a state-owned TV news show and China's product quality regulator.
In a program aired by Chinas' Central Television (CCTV) Friday last week to market the World Consumer Rights Day, several owners of Volkswagen and Skoda cars complained about sudden acceleration or loss of speed, and also abnormal noises and vibrations.
On Saturday, China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine urged the German auto giant to recall affected vehicles.
That same day, Volkswagen and its two joint ventures in China issued a statement that it would recall the vehicles.
In China, several Volkswagen and Skoda models use six-speed and seven-speed versions of the gearbox, which also is known as a dual clutch transmission.
Since 2011, Chinese consumers have filed many complaints about the malfunctioning transmission in their VW and Skoda models. Despite the complaints, the German automaker resisted the appeal from its customers in China and the Chinese media for vehicle recall.
Instead, it extended its powertrain warranty in China last May to ten years or 160,000 km, up from four years or 150,000 km.
In the same CCTV program Friday, consumers also complained about the rusty car body of the Tongyue compact sedan made by Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Co. (JAC), a state-owned Chinese automaker.
The next day, JAC issued a statement pledging to recall the vehicle.
On Saturday, China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine urged the German auto giant to recall affected vehicles.
That same day, Volkswagen and its two joint ventures in China issued a statement that it would recall the vehicles.
In China, several Volkswagen and Skoda models use six-speed and seven-speed versions of the gearbox, which also is known as a dual clutch transmission.
Since 2011, Chinese consumers have filed many complaints about the malfunctioning transmission in their VW and Skoda models. Despite the complaints, the German automaker resisted the appeal from its customers in China and the Chinese media for vehicle recall.
Instead, it extended its powertrain warranty in China last May to ten years or 160,000 km, up from four years or 150,000 km.
In the same CCTV program Friday, consumers also complained about the rusty car body of the Tongyue compact sedan made by Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Co. (JAC), a state-owned Chinese automaker.
The next day, JAC issued a statement pledging to recall the vehicle.
