German automaker Volkswagen and its joint venture partner FAW have been asked to recall over 577,000 Golf and Sagitar cars in China.

The country's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said Wednesday that the measure was necessary because of a headlight fuse defect that "might lead to safety risks," adding that the faulty fuses could cause headlight failure.

The requested recall covered 416,364 Golfs produced between September 2009 and May 2014, and 161,226 Sagitars produced between July 2010 and March 2012, the Chinese watchdog said.

Most important market

In March of this year, Volkswagen already had to recall over 1 million Audi vehicles due to potential leaks and coolant pumps faults.

China is Volkswagen's most important export market. The Wolfsburg-based company delivered nearly 4 million vehicles in China last year, accounting for two-fifths of its global sales.

The latest sales figures from April showed a 4.3-percent increase in core-brand VW cars shifted across China.

Volkswagen is aiming to become the world's leading e-car producer by 2025 and is banking on Chinese consumers to create sufficient demand for alternativefuel vehicles (AFVs), including all-electric cars and hybrids.

hg/jd (Reuters, dpa)