Volkswagen employees inspect an 2012 Passat in the assembly finish department in Chattanooga Tennessee, Dec 1, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]?

BEIJING -- China's consumer quality watchdog on Saturday urged German car maker Volkswagen to recall defective cars with DSG problems.

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said in a statement on its website that its research has basically confirmed the Volkswagen' direct shift gearbox transmission has defects which may cause engine power failures.

The administration's spokesman Zhang Yuanping said if Volkswagen refuse to fulfill its legal obligations, the AQSIQ will force it to recall the defective cars, according to the statement.

On Friday, a program on consumer quality aired by the China Central Television exposed that the malfunctions of DSG transmission in some models of Volkswagen could cause sudden loss or gain of engine power, posing great safety hazards.