The new car quality complaints registered a 9 percent increase among China’s overall figures in the first three months of the current year, as they accounted for over 60 percent of all the complaints received by the China Association for Quality.
Complaints related to safety hazards and automakers’ production defects saw a 15 percent increase in Q1 2010, as compared to the same period of last year, indicating that the Chinese people are becoming more aware of these issues.
Complaints related to engine problems and flawed spare parts & accessories accounted for almost 50 percent of the vehicle quality complaints, showing that automotive producers have a poor parts suppliers quality control system.
By far the largest number of complaints (94.6 percent) was registered from owners of vehicles priced below $44,000, a figure that can be translated into a minor decrease over the previous quarter.
Vehicles with prices ranging from $15,000 to $30,000 registered an 11.3 percent complaints increase, with the majority of them being models with an important market share.
Last month, the Chinese Ministry of Information and Technology issued an advisory statement, urging the country’s car producers to establish a common quality standard. The companies were advised to establish comprehensive development plans focused on improving quality, to expand their after sale services and to create a system that would solve recall issues.
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