Hyundai Motor, South Korea’s top carmaker, will recall more than 15,000 sport utility vehicles in China because of an engine defect, according to China’s quality watchdog Friday.

Subject to the recall in mainland China are 15,373 Veracruz SUVs, which were produced between Jan. 8, 2007, and March 12, 2013, in South Korea and imported to China, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said in a statement Thursday.

An “improper design of the cylinder head cover gasket” of the vehicles’ engines may cause oil leaks that prompt the engines to stop under certain circumstances, the statement said.

The recall will start Nov. 18, it said.

The move comes amid a series of recalls that Hyundai Motor has been conducting to address flaws in some of the models it has been exporting. The carmaker also has been issuing compensation for overstating fuel economies here.

On Thursday, Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Motors unveiled a new road map for improving the fuel efficiency of their new cars by 25 percent on average by 2020.

As part of the broad efforts, the two Korean carmakers will be pouring resources into developing new engines and transmissions and trimming car weights, officials said.

They added that a special task force had been working on the issue since early this year after group chairman Chung Mong-koo stressed the importance of competitiveness in fuel economy.

(hnpark@heraldcorp.com)