By Park Jin-hai
Audi Volkswagen Korea, criticized over its late apology for an on-going emissions scandal here, will belatedly recall some 2,200 vehicles for defects in emissions-related parts, the company said Thursday.
Two years ago, the company was ordered to replace the defective parts by the Ministry of the Environment.
The cars on the recall list are 1,653 Audi A6 2.0 TFSIs sold between 2009 and 2010, and 534 Tiguan 2.0 TDI models sold in 2009.
The A6 was found to have a faulty positive crankcase ventilation valve, which recycles crankcase gases back into the engine to burn. The damaged valve may bring engine oil into the combustion chamber, producing white smoke in the exhaust.
The Tiguan was said to have a defective sensor in a diesel particulate filter.
The company didn’t recall the vehicles, although it knew of the defects in 2013 after a ministry inspection. For this, it was fined 31 million won.
Rep. Han Jeong-ae of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy said postponing the recall for two years was deceiving Korean customers.
Han also criticized the environment ministry. “The government has been too tepid. It didn’t do anything else but impose a one-time penalty,” she said during a recent National Assembly audit of the ministry.
Under the current Environmental Law, a carmaker should report to the ministry when emissions related parts defects hits 50, or 4 percent of the cars sold. It is also obliged to fix the problems or replace parts.
However, the law doesn’t limit the time that the automaker can take to carry out a recall to repair the defects.
According to the ministry data, among the 534 Tiguan SUVs sold in 2009, requests for repair for the emission related car parts reached 342, or 64 percent of the cars sold.
Of the Audi A6 2.0s manufactured and sold in 2009, the company received requests for repairs from 50 percent of the buyers as of the third quarters of 2011
Those manufactured and sold in 2010 saw such requests reach 64.1 percent by the end of 2011.
“We ordered a recall; but because the company didn’t comply, we revised the related regulation in July. Under this, Audi Volkswagen Korea must submit a recall plan by the end of the year,” said a ministry official.
Volkswagen Korea said it notified the ministry, Wednesday, that it will carry out the recall and submit a detailed plan within the month. However, it stressed that this has nothing to do with the current emissions cheating scandal.