Volkswagen will recall 384,181 vehicles sold in China to fix a gearbox problem about which the automaker has taken some heat within the last 12 months. The recall was announced by China’s quality watchdog, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, with VW confirming it in an email statement.
The recall action will begin on April 2 and will cover 21 models including Passat, Sagitar, Golf, Touran and other models made by VW’s Chinese ventures, as well as imported models like the Audi A3 built between February 2010 and June 2011.
Volkswagen’s decision to recall the cars was made after an annual investigative special on corporate malpractice broadcast last week by China Central Television (CCTV), in which VW’s DSG transmissions were blamed for causing cars to speed up or slow down during driving.
In the statement, Volkswagen admitted that “in isolated cases, an electronic malfunction in the control unit or a lack of oil pressure inside the gearbox mechatronics may result in a power interruption,” stressing that steering and braking are not affected. The recall includes vehicles equipped with seven-speed direct-shift gearboxes.
The action may prove to be an expensive one for the German automaker, with LMC Automotive estimating replacements to cost between 3,000 yuan ($483) to 10,000 yuan ($1,610) per vehicle. That would bring the total cost of the recall to $618 million in the best-case scenario.
In May 2012, VW agreed to extend the warranty for its double-clutch gearboxes from 2 to 10 years, following investigations from China’s quality inspector related to faulty gearboxes.
By Dan Mihalascu
Story References: Reuters & Bloomberg
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