JAPAN’S Honda Motor Co. has halted new sales of CR-V crossovers in China and may have to do the same with its Civic model after a Chinese regulator rejected the automaker’s plan to recall 350,000 of the cars to fix a problem.

The company had planned to address a cold-climate engine problem on two of its top-selling models in two phases, recalling CR-V sport utility vehicles from late February and Civics from early March.

A Honda spokesman said Friday China’s quality control regulator considered its plan insufficient, leading Honda to stop sales of new CR-Vs until a new recall plan had been agreed.

The company’s problems in the world’s biggest auto market highlight what appears to be an emerging trend, where Chinese customers air their complaints on Weibo — the country’s Twitter equivalent — and other social media, forcing carmakers to act.

With complaints from CR-V and Civic owners pouring out in mid-January, Honda devised a recall plan in only about a month.

Honda had said it intended to recall roughly 350,000 CR-Vs and Civics equipped with a 1.5-liter turbo engine. Both affected models have been sold by Honda’s joint venture with Dongfeng Motor Group.

The recalls are aimed at fixing a problem caused by an unusual amount of un-combusted petrol collecting in the engine’s lubricant oil pan.

The issue in some cases caused a strong odor of gasoline inside the car and in others the car’s check-engine light came on.

(SD-Agencies)