Driven by the strong growth in car sales, complaints registered against China's automotive industry have also surged, rising by 55.86 percent, to 3,566 in the first half of this year.

The General Administration for Industry and Commerce said 57.49percent of the disputes were quality-related complaints, reported by the People's Daily.

Most of the problems related to engine faults, failure of air bags, or other mechanical functions, and the poor quality of accessories posed a major threat to passenger safety.

Official figures show that in China individuals now own more than 10 million private cars.

Failure in after-sale services has been another major complaint against manufacturers and retailers, the administration said.

(Xinhua News Agency September 2, 2003)