Following a nationwide outcry, VW is meeting with a Chinese government agency to discuss defective DSG units.
VW's Double Shift Gearbox Image: VW Group |
Volkswagen has drawn large-scale public criticism in China due to its failure to address complaints around the defective dual-clutch, Double Shif Gearbox (DSG). VW will meet with the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) to discuss appropriate solutions to the problem.
According to an AQSIS source, the faulty gearboxes have been emitting “strange noises and vibrations” during shifting. However, after reviewing the gearboxes, VW has dismissed the issues as mere inconveniences that do not pose safety risks and therefore do not warrant a full recall.
The controversy, inconveniently timed around World Consumer Rights Day on the 22nd of March, has been intensified by negative reviews from the online community, which claim VW has treated its Chinese customers with less respect than their Western counterparts.
In 2009, American 13,500 VW vehicles fitted with the defective DSG units were recalled, leaving Chinese customers feeling mistreated by the German company, which has stated that it sees China as a key market for reaching its goal of becoming the world's largest automaker.