BEIJING — Ford (China) has postponed its planned recall of Lincoln MKX vehicles for three months due to delays in the delivery of repair components, according to China's top quality watchdog.

The recall, involving 316 imported cars made from June 11, 2014 to July 31, 2014, will start on September 30, three months later than the initial planned date.

Due to defects in the pre-tensioning system, the seat belts may not function properly in accidents, which is a safety risk, according to Ford.

The company urged owners of the vehicles to contact dealers as soon as the recall starts to have the component replaced.

Earlier official data showed global and Chinese automakers recalled 4.49 million defective vehicles in the first five months of this year, compared with 11.34 million during the whole of 2016.