Volkswagen is recalling more than 380,000 cars in China to address a long-standing gearbox problem.

From April 2, the German manufacturer will recall 384,181 imported or locally produced cars which have faulty gearboxes, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said yesterday.

The gearboxes are said to cause a sudden loss of speed or acceleration due to an electronic glitch or insufficient oil pressure.

Volkswagen China and its Chinese joint ventures will replace electronic components and upgrade software at a cost of between 3,000 yuan (US$483) and 10,000 yuan per vehicle, according to estimates. The company previously updated the software for some cars but didn't eliminate the problem.

The recall was announced less than a week after the problems were highlighted on a national TV program to mark Consumer Rights Day.

The recall applies to vehicles imported or manufactured in China between December 2008 and this month, the quality watchdog said, and would include the Sirocco, Golf Wagon, Jetta, Magotan, Touran and Passat models.

Similar models sold elsewhere in the world, including the US and Europe, are not affected, VW spokesman Scott Vazin said. Only Volkswagens in China and Southeast Asia with hot, humid climates are affected, he said.

The day after Volkswagen was highlighted on the TV program, the quality watchdog issued a statement urging the company to recall faulty cars. It said it had been investigating the gearbox case since last year and that had led to Volkswagen extending its gearbox guarantee period in China to 10 years or 160,000 kilometers.

The watchdog said it also had serious talks with the company in February after confirming the gearboxes were defective through collecting more than 10,000 pieces of information about malfunctions, interviewing more than 3,000 owners, carrying out 12 on-site inspections, and organizing seven expert debates.

Chinese carmaker Jianghuai, which was also criticized in the "3.15" program on China Central Television, announced a recall of 117,072 cars after the broadcast to correct a problem that had seen body panels rusting due to the lack of a proper coating.