Volkswagen to recall 581,090 cars in China after probe

Volkswagen AG will recall about 1.02 million cars in China and the U.S. to fix possible defects related to the rear suspension.

Europe’s largest automaker informed the National Highway Transport Safety Administration that 400,602 Jetta sedans built from 2011 to 2013 and 41,663 Beetle models produced from 2012 to 2013 will be checked, VW spokesman Pietro Zollino said by phone.

“The axle is safe,” Zollino said. “The problem can only occur with cars that had some sort of accident like a collision before.” No related accidents or injuries have been reported.

The move in the U.S. was triggered by a recall announced earlier Saturday in China, where 581,090 cars are affected, two months after consumer complaints prompted the country’s quality inspector to begin an investigation.

The China recall will commence in February and involves 563,605 New Sagitar and 17,485 Beetle vehicles, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said in a statement on its website. Volkswagen will affix metal plates to the rear shaft axle, which will stabilize the car and emit warning noises in event of cracks, according to the notice.

The quality regulator began an investigation in August after receiving complaints about the Sagitar sedan. The agency said today it interviewed executives at the German automaker’s Chinese joint venture FAW-Volkswagen, users of the affected models, and conducted field investigations as part of its probe.

Sagitar car owners accounted for about half of the complaints posted on the defect information collection system of China’s National Defective Motor Vehicle Recall Information Management Platform from July 30 to Aug. 12. (Bloomberg)