China's safety watchdog revealed that some of the imported brake pads used by global carmakers were faulty, according to a report by China Central Television on Sunday as cited by Reuters.

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Based on the issued statements by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine in March and May, at least 226 of the 467 shipments inspected contained sub-standard brake pads.

CCTV noted that over 60 brands were involved. However, nine foreign automakers, namely, Volkswagen, Audi AG, Toyota, Jaguar Land Rover Ltd, BMW AG, Daimler AG's Mercedes Benz, Hyundai Motor Co, Kia Motors Corp., and Volvo, as well as parts supplier Textar were discovered to have at least 10 or more issues.

The report said that several issues were noted including potential break failure at high temperatures and incorrect labeling. Affected brake parts failed to meet the standards in terms of model information, friction, shear strength, and comprehensive strength.

The assessment was based on the country's national standards (GB 5763-2008 - brake linings for automobiles. It includes domestic market fields, cross-border e-commerce, and import distribution centers, CRI English noted.

The automakers and supplier did not respond for immediate comments when requested by Reuters.

In a related news, a senior Chinese official has warned US automakers on Wednesday that China could slap penalty for monopolistic behavior.

"The penalty comes as authorities work to step up against oversight and expand the industries they scrutinize in order to promote fair market," Zhang Handong, the director of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)'s price supervision bureau, said.

The names of the companies involved as well as the amount of the penalty were not divulged.

The warning, however, came after US President-elect Donald Trump's comment on the decades-long US policy of acknowledging Taiwan as part of China. However, this was contradicted by other sources, saying Chinese officials have already been carrying out investigations on several car makers even before Trump's controversial remark.

Tagsbrake pads, faulty brake pads China, imported brake pads