China urges foreign carmakers to take action on faulty air bags

BEIJING — China's top quality watchdog said Thursday that it has asked carmakers General Motors, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen to take action against faulty Takata passenger-seat air-bag inflators.

Instead of providing valid recall plans, the eight manufacturers propose recalling a small number of vehicles for testing and analysis, said the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (GAQSIQ).

A global recall is ongoing for millions of vehicles equipped with Takata air-bag inflators that can explode and spray potentially fatal shrapnel inside the car. They have been linked to numerous deaths and injuries worldwide.

At a meeting with representatives from the three carmakers, the GAQSIQ urged them to fulfill their legal obligations and recall involved vehicles and eliminate safety hazards as soon as possible.

The faulty inflator involves 37 car manufacturers and more than 20 million vehicles in China, of which 24 carmakers had recalled 10.59 million vehicles by the end of June, while 5 others plan to recall another 1.26 million, said the GAQSIQ.