[THE INVESTOR] The local units of Mercedes Benz, Audi Volkswagen and Subaru will voluntarily recall nearly 17,000 vehicles in Korea for various problems that could result in accidents, the Transport Ministry said on Jan. 11.

The recall affects a total of 16,797 vehicles belonging to 32 models made by four foreign automakers, according to the ministry.

The ministry said 8,548 units of 24 Mercedes Benz car models, including 2,209 E200 sedans produced from August to December 2016, were found to have seat belt and air bag issues.

Another 6,526 vehicles of four models imported and sold by Audi Volkswagen Korea, including 3,191 Q5s produced from February 2009 to December 2012, had defects in their airbag inflators, with 1,677 cars by Subaru and 46 vehicles from Daimler Trucks being recalled for the same problem, according to the ministry.

The owners of the vehicles can visit designated repair and service centers to replace the parts free of charge, the ministry said. People who had the defects in their cars fixed on their own before recalls are eligible for compensation from the automakers.

By Alex Lee and newswires (alexlee@heraldcorp.com)