Defective Sunroofs Trigger Volkswagen Recall in China

Aug 03, 2016 10:09 AM EDT

Guests hold Chinese and Volkswagen logo flags before the arrival of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao next at the Volkswagen factory on April 23, 2012 in Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn and representatives of Chinese companies signed an agreement later in the day to extend Volkswagen's production in China and also allow the construction of another plant. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

German carmaker Volkswagen is recalling 224 vehicles in China to check on defective sunroofs, according to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

In a statement posted on its website, China's top quality watchdog said the recall will involve 224 Bentley Flying Spur vehicles that Volkswagen manufactured from April 27, 2007 to October 29, 2008.

Like Us on Facebook

The recall, which is set to begin on August 29, is triggered by the affected vehicles' defective sunroofs, which could separate from the car frames when driving.

The said defect, according to the country's top quality watchdog, poses safety risk.

Volkswagen vowed to inspect the recalled vehicles and replace the defective sunroofs at no cost to the owners.

China is the world's largest car market and car manufactures are making sure that quality issues are immediately address to avoid losing their market shares.

Last year, China recalled about 5.6 million defective vehicles manufactured by different manufacturers local and foreign.

According to Yan Fengmin, a department director in charge of law enforcement with the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, over 34 million vehicles have been recalled since the Chinese government began the recall system in 2004.

In the first six months of 2016, China saw 103 recalls involving 7.1 million vehicles. About 29 of the total recalls were due to defective airbags, accounting for 4.9 million vehicles.

Another major recall reason, engine problems, resulted to the recall of over 2.2 million vehicles, the top quality watchdog said.

In July, another German car manufacturer, Mercedez-Benz, recalled 16 luxury vehicles in Chian due to defective clutches, the quality watchdog said on its website.

The recall affected Mercedes-Benz 2016 A, GLA and CLA series that were manufactured between October 22, 2015 and November 4, 2015.

The car manufacturer also recalled 2015 AMG and GT series that were produced between June 9, 2015 and July 22, 2015, due to defects on their carbon fiber driveshafts.

TagsChina car recall, Volkswagen China, volkswagen