Korea Herald: Volkswagen to recall 28,000 cars due to possible air bag malfunction

Volkswagen Korea is expected to voluntarily recall about 28,000 cars earlier next year due to a defective part that could cause the air bags to malfunction, industry sources said Monday, according to The Korea Herald.

The local unit of German auto giant Volkswagen recently submitted its recall plans to the transportation ministry here, in which it promised to fix the problem for its seven brands being sold in South Korea, The Korea Herald wrote.

The brands subject to the recall include the Golf, the Jetta, the Passat and the Tiguan that were manufactured between 2010-2014, the sources said.

The decision was made due to a defective clock spring, which could break away if the driver applies excessive force to the steering wheel.

"The clock spring could touch air bag cables, and if that continues, it could cause the air bags not to function normally. But the chances are really low," a Volkswagen Korea official said.

"The recall is in line with our global recall move for those models," he said, noting that there have been no accidents reported here and overseas in connection with the cited problem.

Earlier, Volkswagen decided to recall around 420,000 cars in the United States due to the same defect.