CRI听力: High Time to Update Chinese Car Recall Regulations

While many Chinese customers are outraged by Toyota's different attitudes towards the Chinese and US markets, experts say it is high time that China re-examines its laws and regulations and develop its own domestic automobile manufacturing industry. Tingting reports.



On April 7th, 251 Toyota customers from Zhejiang Province received 300 yuan in compensation from the Japanese automaker. Toyota customers in other parts of China thought that they would receive equal compensation, and were therefore shocked to discover that they may not get the same treatment.

A Beijing Toyota dealer in a telephone interview said:

"We haven't received any notice concerning the compensation yet. But chances are customers in Beijing or in other places will not get the same amount of compensation as in Zhejiang."

Toyota's compensation in Zhejiang was made based on a local regulation that was passed ten years ago. The regulation specified automakers' compensations in cases like this, while in other parts of China, such regulation does not exist.

Lang Danke from Beijing Customers' Association explains that a national level regulation with specific compensation content doesn't exist either.

"China's Administrative Regulations on Recalls of Defective Automobile Products doesn't require automakers in China to provide any financial compensation to consumers. This allows excuses for automakers and sets obstacles for customers when it comes to defending their rights."

Toyota has offered three free maintenance services and refused to compensate Chinese consumers' time and travel costs.

In fact, Toyota's total compensation to each RAV4 owner will not exceed 200 yuan since there have been no technical problems reported in China with Toyota's cars. Thus, the total compensation payable on the 75,000 RAV4s will be no more than 15 million yuan, far less than the sum Toyota has to pay in the United States, where the carmaker was fined a record 16 million U.S. dollars.

Experts indicate China should take the lesson to update its regulations and laws and better protect its consumers.

For CRI, I'm Tingting.