Volkswagen recall may prompt probe of other automakers

German automaker Volkswagen's recent recall of nearly half a million cars in the US due to faulty fuel pump parts may lead to an investigation into other automakers using the same parts, according to a US traffic authority statement on Friday.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it was now probing whether vehicles and parts sold by other companies also contain defective fuel pump flanges from Continental Automotive, which can crack and cause a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.

Volkswagen Passats on sale in Chicago, Illinois, on September 18, 2015.

Continental Automotive has supplied the potentially defective parts to Ford, General Motors, Fiat Chrysler, Lamborghini, Jaguar-Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, McLaren and Volvo, according to the agency's statement.

Continental spokeswoman Mary Arraf said the parts were made from the same type of industry-standard plastic. She said in the recalled vehicles, the material can break down due to environmental factors and exposure to acids in cleaning solutions, and that the risk of a crack can also be affected by where the part is installed in a vehicle.

The agency has not named which companies are under investigation, though the defect is estimated to affect more than 455,000 vehicles.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)