Volkswagen is taking a blow in the world’s largest car market, China, as it has to recall 4.9 million vehicles, equipped with potentially faulty Takata front airbags.
In a short statement released on Thursday, the German automaker said that the action covers vehicles made locally by FAW-VW, SAIC-VW, and FAW-Audi, as well as imported cars from the VW, Audi, Seat, and Skoda brands.
“By taking this action, the companies are responding to an advice from the Chinese safety authority. To date there has been no known case of a defective Takata front airbag in any Volkswagen Group vehicle anywhere in the world”, says Volkswagen.
Quoting the Chinese General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine (AQSIQ), Reuters reports that the recall will begin next March, and will run into 2019.
Further details on the safety campaign have yet to be announced, but this is another big hit for Volkswagen, which delivered almost 4 million new cars in the People’s Republic, last year, a 12.2 percent increase on 2015. The number makes it the largest foreign carmaker in the Asian country.
It’s believed that more than 20 million cars sold locally are equipped with the dangerous Takata airbags, which are responsible for at least 16 deaths and 180 injuries worldwide.
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