German carmaker Volkswagen and its China joint ventures, FAW-Volkswagen and SAIC Volkswagen, are recalling a total of 1.82 million vehicles in China.

The Xinhua news agency on Monday quoted the country's top quality watchdog as saying that the recall was required because of a faulty fuel pump that could lead to engine stalling.

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said on its website that the affected vehicles included 859,869 domestically produced Magotan models as well as 810,257 domestically produced new Passat models plus some imported cars.

No injuries reported

The watchdog explained that overheating and mechanical pressure could "lead to failure of electronic components in the fuel pump control modules," causing the engines to stall.

Volkswagen and its joint ventures will replace the fuel pump control units for free, with the recall scheduled to start on December 25.

In March of this year, Volkswagen recalled nearly 680,000 premium Audi cars in China over defects in coolant pumps that had the potential of causing engine fires.

The carmaker obviously became aware of the latest defect after an investigation by Chinese authorities launched in April 2016.

hg/jd (Reuters, AFP)