Experts: Production speed-ups to blame for frequent auto recalls

Vehicle manufacturers are hurrying production at the expense of quality-control, which is responsible for recent frequent car recalls, according to experts commenting on Subaru's announcement yesterday of a recall on imported models of the Legacy and Outback.

Within a month, nine automakers announced recalls involving malfunctions in engines, brake systems and transmission systems, including off-road vehicles and sedans.

A senior analyst, Jia Xinguang said 13.6 million cars were sold in China last year, representing a 4 million car sales growth. The booming auto market spurs car manufacturers to accelerate production to increase sales performance. The hidden danger this practice poses to quality is suddenly becoming apparent in this series of recalls.

"Though currently recalls are frequent, the number of recalled cars is still less than one-tenth that of (recalls) in Europe and in the United States. Many auto manufacturers adopt implicit recalls or internal processing to reduce maintenance costs and negative impacts," Jia Xinguang said. "The Toyota affair has encouraged automakers to reveal defective products to the public, which is also an important factor explaining why recalls are increasing."

By People's Daily Online