China seeks public opinion on VW's faulty DSG

BEIJING - China's quality watchdog Wednesday advised owners of Volkswagen cars with defective direct-shift gearbox (DSG) to submit information about the problem to the government agency.

People can download forms from the website of the General Administration of Quality Supervision and Quarantine (AQSIQ) and send emails to dsg@dpac.gov.cn, or submit the problems at www.dpac.gov.cn.

Volkswagen has upset a number of Chinese consumers, as the German carmaker said it would not recall vehicles with problems in the DSG, a type of transmission technology used by the company, in the Chinese market, but recalled the problematic sets in the markets outside of China.

AQSIQ said it had analyzed the reported problems. The complaints included unusual noises, vibrations and transmission problems.

On March 29, AQSIQ contacted the German carmaker urging it to provide effective solutions as early as possible. The watchdog reiterated it will require Volkswagen to recall the products if the DSG is confirmed flawed.

China is Volkswagen's largest market, with passenger cars sold under the brand totaled 818,800 in China (including Hong Kong) in the first two months of this year, up 8 percent year-on-year.