Interpretation of the "Car Recall Regulations"

"Defective Automobile Products Recall Management Regulations" Bring Innovation Power

Eight-year long-distance running. Today, the self-owned brand cars are full of confidence, standing in front of the "recall" same starting line with other competitors, waiting for starting guns.

8 years ago in 2004, China promulgated and implemented the "Regulations on the Recall of Defective Automobile Products" (hereinafter referred to as the "Regulations"). As of November 7, 2012, eight years ago, China had conducted 482 recalls of motor vehicles and recalled 8,895.19 million vehicles. Among them, only 200,000 vehicles were recalled from self-owned brands. This has caused consumers to question the quality of local car companies.

On October 30, 2012, the Regulations on the Recall of Defective Automotive Products (hereinafter referred to as the “Regulations”) was officially released, and will be implemented on January 1, 2013 in place of the “Regulations”. Looking at the content of the “Regulations”, from producers to dealers to the regulatory agencies, the regulations are all iron fists. This also means that the “car recall” is a “overall upgrade” of the rules governing the rights of owners of national vehicles. All car companies will stand in front of the "recall" same starting line.

What is meant by the new "Regulations" for "tightening up"? What does China mean to the world's largest automobile production and sales volume? What new changes will it bring to China's auto industry? How do domestic auto companies get tested by the new regulations? Some experts, companies and people in the community said that the “Regulations” are both “spells” and seat belts, and they are also a new driving force for the development of Chinese autos. Only with confidence, can an independent brand be able to overcome difficulties.

Industrial Development Booster
"Identical treatment of the code, chaos, chaos, confidence, and promote development." In the noise of criticism of China's own brand recall has been criticized, Liang Bing is one of the most active supporters of opposing views. As a partner of Beijing Shi Bin and a famous car commentator in the circle, he hopes that the “Regulations” can also be used as a tool to solve the problem of “our own product quality” when solving the double standards of joint ventures and foreign brands’ recall in China. "It has become a booster for the overall healthy growth of China's auto industry."

Liang Bing believes that from the perspective of international experience, car recalls have proved to be an effective means to promote and regulate the development of the automobile industry. The establishment of a strict recall system is a move closer to the international practice of the industry. In the 60s and 90s of the last century, the United States, Japan, South Korea, the European Union and other countries and regions have formulated a special system for recalling defective automotive products, which has greatly improved the quality and safety of automobiles in the country, effectively curbed traffic accidents, and promoted The great development of the domestic automobile industry.

Looking at the entire domestic industry, as of June this year, China's car ownership has reached 114 million. However, from the perspective of product supply, according to the "Monthly Statistical Summary of China's Automobile Industry" compiled by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, China's total automobile output was 18.418 million in 2011, and the top 10 auto manufacturers in terms of production and sales volume. Among them, Chery is the only one that can truly claim to be its own brand. From the perspective of recall, China recalled only 482 vehicles and 8.98 million vehicles in eight years. In the United States, 592 recalls were conducted last year and the number of recalls reached 15.47 million, which is more than 6 million more than the total of China's eight-year total. Vehicle.

“In fact, it is not the quality of cars running on our country’s roads that are better than those of the United States.” Liang Bing said that from this example, it can be seen that as the world’s largest producer and sales volume, China’s quality supervision in the entire automotive industry is particularly The time has come for the national auto industry to adopt "extreme means". The "Regulations" can be found from the root of the car - the quality and safety of the means to improve. If the defect investigation involves 88 mandatory safety and safety standards for automobiles. At the China Automotive Safety Technology Development International Forum on November 10th, Deputy Director of the AQSIQ Defective Product Management Center Wang Hao introduced that although the recall of defective cars in China is later than that in developed countries, recall procedures, survey methods and technical methods All aspects are kept in sync with the international, and the recall supervision system in developed countries is completely connected, fully able to regulate and boost the demand for the development of China's auto industry.

Quality push mechanism

Consistent with Liang Liangbing's point of view, Lu Haidong, technical engineer of R&D center of Volvo Cars (Shanghai), believes that the "Regulations" is a kind of force-reversing mechanism that will force the entire car companies, especially their own brands, to improve their quality, thus enhancing China's entire automotive industry. He summed up this "relentless force" in two points: promoting positive recalls and testing local brands.

According to the statistics of the corporate database of the National Organizational Code Center, by the end of 2011, there were a total of 4,491 auto manufacturers in China, of which 3,551 were automobile manufacturers (including auto vehicle manufacturing, tram manufacturing, auto body and trailer manufacturing), and conversions. There are 940 car manufacturers. There are only 331 manufacturers that complete the recall of automobile information at the AQSIQ Defective Product Management Center. In the developed countries of the global automotive industry, the recall of automobiles is already a standard of automobile quality assurance that companies generally adopt. The annual recall of automobiles is greater than the production and sales volume. It is also the norm. It can be seen that on the issue of recalls, most of the car companies registered in China are lucky or even negative. The "Regulations" will play a catalytic role here: to increase the number of recalled companies, and treat them equally in the laws and regulations.

In Lu Haidong's view, the "Regulations" are still a shotgun, and will play an important role in "forcing" auto makers to increase the voluntary recall frequency and improve product quality.

According to the domestic car recall case, it can be seen that the recall of self-owned brands has always been a long-standing problem. The number of recalls of more than 200,000 vehicles for eight years is proof. The “everyone on Earth knows” that the “absence” of independent brands is not due to its high quality, which is exactly where consumers question.

"In the future, with the implementation of the "Regulations," it is expected that the number of recalls by autonomous auto makers will greatly increase." Lu Haidong said that because there is still a gap between independent brands and foreign brands in R&D, manufacturing and supply, in the short term, This will increase the company's cost pressure, and may even bring about catastrophe; but in the long run, it is more necessary to ensure the implementation of the recall system through the improvement of the system, and use the "Regulations" as a driving force to urge independent brands to pay more attention to it. Quality, promote the long-term development of China's auto industry. The Japanese brand had won the American market by relying on the recall system to "force the improvement of quality."

Liang Bing also believes that the "Regulations" will also play an active role in ensuring the quality of the car's entire industrial chain. For example, Article 27 of the "Regulations" clearly stipulates that if the automobile product does not have defects in the tires of the vehicle's equipment at the time of leaving the factory, the manufacturer of the tire is responsible for the recall. "The first time the company's quality responsibility is regulated, which is also a warning to other suppliers."

Initial confidence dawned
Although the "Regulations" have not yet been implemented, many car companies have full confidence.

The representative of Great Wall Motor Sales Co., Ltd., deputy general manager and press spokesman Shang Yugui, is the most representative. He admitted that in the past manufacturers were unwilling to take the initiative to recall, in fact, it was an issue of concept. Many car companies feared that this would affect the brand image; some companies also had concerns about high recall costs; combined with the short time for China’s defective auto product recall system, it was not enough. Mature, this also to some extent connived with the self-brand to avoid the recall. However, with the landing of the “Regulations”, independent auto makers will definitely increase their sense of responsibility and increase recalls and batches. In June of this year, the Great Wall opened a recalled “big bill” of more than 10,000 vehicles.

There are also great expectations in society. On November 12, the Guangzhou Daily published the "Regulations" to implement the survey results. Nearly 70% of consumers favor domestic brands and believe that the "Regulations" will have a positive impact on the Chinese automobile market. The quality of new Chinese cars will be improved as a whole. The negative impact on brand growth, corporate costs, etc. is negligible.

Another confidence comes from J. D. Power Asia Pacific. At the beginning of November, the company released the 2012 China New Vehicle Quality Study SM (IQS) report showing that in 2012 China's independent brand new car quality progressed significantly, the number of problems per hundred vehicles dropped to 212, and the gap between international brands Shrink to 95. The number of questions per 100 vehicles in international brands is 117. There is still great room for continuous improvement in the future of self-owned brands.

The government regulators are even more active. At present, a service supervision structure has been formed that includes the collaboration of the AQSIQ, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Health, and the General Administration of Customs to promote the development of the automobile industry. Wang Hao disclosed that at present, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine is planning to establish a National Engineering Laboratory for Analysis of Defects in Automobile Products in order to better carry out defect investigations and analysis of engineering techniques and promote the recall of automobiles.

"There is no other way. We must work hard on product design, technology maturity, and model quality, and we must make improvements as soon as possible." Jia Xinguang, a well-known analyst in the automotive industry, said: "Individual brand car companies will further develop in the environment where survival of the fittest takes the next step. Effective integration."

Recall abroad

United States

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the United States was established in 1970 and is affiliated with the US Department of Transportation. It consists of three major departments: policy operations, traffic injury control, and vehicle safety. There are currently 650 employees, based on the National Traffic and Maneuver. The Vehicle Safety Law 1966, Highway Safety Law 1966, Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Law 1972 and other laws exercise functions, responsible for traffic safety research (people, vehicles, environment), and formulate motor vehicle safety standards and fuel economy standards. , Carry out investigations of motor vehicle defects, regulatory compliance supervision and investigation of odometer fraud.

The Vehicle Security Department has a law enforcement agency that is responsible for vehicle recalls such as defect investigations and compliance supervision of motor vehicles. Among them, the Defects Investigation Office (ODI) is responsible for receiving complaints from vehicle users and conducting vehicle defect investigations. There are about 80 existing staff members, and cumulatively more than 4,500 defect investigations have been initiated; the Vehicle Safety Supervision Office (OVSC) is responsible for compliance with new product standards. Supervision is carried out, with about 60 staff members. Each year, according to 60 US vehicle safety related standards, hundreds of compliance tests are carried out. In addition, the Vehicle Research and Test Center (VRTC) (Laboratory) is responsible for the experimental analysis of defective automotive engineering products, and currently has more than 100 employees. In addition, about 300 researchers are mainly engaged in vehicle safety technology, laws and regulations, standard setting, traffic injury control, and statistical analysis. In recent years, NHTSA’s work funding has been stable at more than 800 million U.S. dollars.

It is understood that the next step in the work of the US NHTSA Enforcement Agency will focus on the investigation of vehicle safety standards and defect investigations for imported auto vehicles and imported parts and components, especially for products that have just entered the US market. After the Toyota incident, the United States set up a National Electronic Security Center to investigate the quality and safety issues of Toyota's electronic systems.

EU

The legislation for the recall of EU automotive products is mainly embodied in the "General Product Safety Directive" (2001/95/EC). With regard to the "General Product Safety Directive," EU member states adopted the method or form they deemed appropriate to translate the directive into domestic law in order to achieve the directive's goal.

The main role of the EU in defect investigation work is to formulate a unified automotive product safety regulation, and to ensure the fairness, openness, and consistency of EU countries in car recall law enforcement work through the formulation of working procedures, guidelines, and framework guidance documents. The implementation of member states is monitored. At the same time, through the establishment of the EU non-food rapid information notification system and the EU product injury database platform to provide member countries with EU-wide product damage, accidents, user complaints, risk assessment and other information to ensure that information is open, efficient and accurate sharing.

Since January 1, 2010, the EU has formally implemented the EU Parliamentary and Council Regulations 765/2008/EC and 768/2008/EC, aiming at strengthening the market supervision of compulsory certification and sales of automobiles and other products, and making them more open and uniform. The recall law enforcement information notification system, as well as the implementation basis and procedures, require manufacturers to improve product traceability, and further clarify the responsibilities and obligations of related companies in product manufacturing, import, and distribution.

United Kingdom: The competent department responsible for car recalls is the Department of Vehicles and Drivers Service (VOSA) of the UK Department of Transport (DFT), established in April 2003. Its main responsibilities include improving vehicle safety performance, assuring drivers and other operators. Comply with relevant traffic laws and regulations, and provide support for the independent transportation committee. VOSA's Motor Vehicle Safety Department (VSB) is based on the "General Product Safety Regulations 2005" translated from the European Union's "General Product Safety Directive." It is responsible for the UK's automotive (domestic and import) recalls, including the investigation of automobile safety defects in the UK. , recalls and crash tests, etc. The regulation applies to a wide range of products, including various types of automotive products such as tires, accessories and pedals. Regulations stipulate that manufacturers and distributors have the obligation to put safe products into the market, take corrective measures against the identified inherent risks, and have the obligation to provide relevant information to consumers. The VOSA's Department of Motor Vehicle Safety initiates defect investigations based on complaints from various sectors of society regarding vehicle safety defects. If there is a problem with the design or manufacturing, VOSA will require the manufacturer to initiate a safety recall procedure.

Germany: The competent authority responsible for vehicle recalls is the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) under the German Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs (BMVBS), which is responsible for type certification and recall management of motor vehicles. The KBA has four first-level and 66 second-level departments. In addition, the German agency responsible for vehicle accident investigation and research is the German Federal Highway Institute under the Ministry of Transport of Germany. It has more than 400 employees and 90% of them are government employees.

On November 1, 2010, Mercedes-Benz (China) Automobile Sales Co., Ltd. had involved 25,305 vehicles in the Chinese mainland due to defects in power steering pumps.

Japan

Japan introduced the "Road Transport Vehicles Act" in 1969 and successively established a system for the recall of defective automobile products in accordance with the law. Japan's auto recall authority and executive body are the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Japan (MLIT). The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism conducts defect investigations and collects information from car manufacturers (accidents, fires, fault reports), consumers (complaints), and relevant government agencies (traffic police, fire control, vehicle inspection, consumer protection) and other channels to organize and carry out Validation experiments and risk assessments, and the issuance of technical analysis reports, according to which the recall advice is issued to the manufacturer and can be announced to the society. If the manufacturer still does not recognize that it will be forced to implement the recall, at the same time, according to the circumstances, the company will be punished economically and pursue the management. Personnel criminal responsibility. The technical support organization is Japan National Traffic Safety and Environment Laboratory (NTSEL). NTSEL consists of seven first-level departments (General Affairs Department, Planning Office, Environmental Research Department, Automotive Safety Research Department, Transportation Systems Research Department, Automobile Recall Technology Verification Department, and Automobile Certification Testing Department).

To enhance the law enforcement power of recall, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Japan has established a special defect investigation office on the basis of the retention of the original recall policy and law enforcement office, and increased the recall implementation in the vehicle annual safety inspection program and non-manufacturer authorized maintenance service business directory. Situation inspections to increase the completion rate of recall actions and require manufacturers to submit vehicle maintenance records quarterly; to provide consumers with more detailed information inquiry services on the information platform.

Korea

South Korea issued the "Automotive Management Law" in 1986. The department responsible for automobile recalls is the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Maritime Affairs (MLTM). The technical support organization is the Korea Automotive Inspection and Research Institute (KATRI). The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Maritime Affairs of Korea is responsible for formulating policies and regulations related to law enforcement for car recalls, launching defect investigation procedures, and issuing recall proposals or orders. The Korea Automotive Inspection and Research Institute is responsible for collecting defect information, organizing and verifying compliance with automotive safety standards and vehicle defect investigations.