Great Wall and Chery vehicles to be recalled over use of asbestos.

[stevz]

http://theage.drive.com.au/motor-new...814-246a8.html

Chinese car asbestos scare
August 14, 2012 - 5:03PM

They're cheap, but almost 25,000 Chinese cars are expected to be recalled for breaching a ban on the use of asbestos.


Almost 25,000 budget-priced Chinese cars are expected to be recalled in Australia to have asbestos components replaced.

The importer of Chinese brands Great Wall and Chery could be forced to recall 21,500 and 2250 cars respectively that contain the potentially deadly material in engine and exhaust gaskets.

The recall would affect almost all of the vehicles sold by the two brands – among the cheapest in their respective categories - since they went on sale here in 2009 (Great Wall) and 2010 (Chery).


The importer of both brands in Australia, Ateco Automotive, has known about the issue for "a period of months" and has been working with various government departments including Work Cover and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to determine a course of action, which is expected to be announced within days.
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Despite the sensitivities surrounding asbestos – known to cause asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer – it is understood some of the asbestos gaskets may not be replaced due to the complexities with replacing them and the likelihood many will never need replacement through the life of the vehicle.

Instead customers and the service industry may be instructed on the safe disposal and removal of components if and when necessary.

Ateco is refusing to speculate on what course of action will be taken, saying it is "waiting on the final ACCC ruling" and that it will comply with whatever measures are required.

The ACCC is refusing to comment on the likely course of action and even whether the car components contain asbestos. A spokesman said: "We are discussing a possible recall of some Great Wall and Chery vehicles but at this stage there is no recall in place. We anticipate the situation will be clarified in coming days."

As with the building industry, asbestos was commonly used in some car components and would still be in thousands of older models. As well as once being common in brake pads, it was also used in various gaskets, but as with all asbestos products has been banned since 2003.

An assessment commissioned on behalf of Ateco by occupational health and safety consultants Hibbs and Associates concluded there were "negligible" health risks for drivers, passengers and mechanics working on the cars.

"Even if carried out in an uncontrolled way, handling and removing these gaskets constitutes a very low asbestos related health risk," the report concludes.

However, the report acknowledges that in severe cases there is still some risk of breathing in asbestos fibres: "During replacement of gaskets containing asbestos severe mechanical abrasion would be required to release measurable quantities of respirable asbestos fibres."

The Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce, which represents more than 5000 Victorian automotive businesses, confirmed asbestos was commonly used in older cars.

"On these vehicles, service and repairer technicians replace old asbestos parts, when needing replacing due to wear, with non-asbestos parts, taking precautions and following approved procedures in the workplace, including wet down processes and wearing safety clothing, using appropriate equipment and disposing of asbestos parts in designated bins," said David Purchase, VACC executive director.

The anticipated recall is a further blow to the credibility of Chinese car makers, which have already raised the ire of safety authorities that have criticised the occupant protection of some Chinese vehicles.

Before signing on as the exclusive Australian importer, Ateco said it was given "written assurances" from Great Wall and Chery that their vehicles complied with Australian regulations and did not contain any asbestos.

It is understood Ateco uncovered the presence of asbestos in various gaskets and notified Great Wall and Chery but was given further assurances it was not used in the production process.

It was later proved that there was asbestos in as many as eight gaskets in each vehicle (some vehicles have only one or two gaskets containing asbestos).

Ateco says it froze stock and asked the brands to stop production and replace the affected components, which has been done on newer models.

However, the fact the recall impacts two non-related brands brings into question the Chinese supply chain.

Chinese cars have proved tempting to Australians due to their cheap prices, with Great Wall this year being the 17th most popular brand of more than 50 on sale in Australia.