German automaker Audi AG will recall certain model years of A8 luxury passenger cars sold in South Korea for a coolant leak that may cause the car to lose power while driving and thus possibly lead to accidents, the transportation ministry said Wednesday.

The local government began investigating possible coolant leaks in the Audi cars in June 2014 following a series of reports from vehicle owners here, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

The government confirmed coolant leaks and also that the leaked coolant found its way to the engine control unit connector, causing a short in the electrical device, which in turn caused the engine to stop.

Audi Volkswagen Korea, the local importer of the German cars, however, refused to make a safety recall, claiming the problem did not create serious safety concerns as the short in the ECU triggered a dashboard warning signal that gave drivers up to two minutes to safely stop the car, only offering a technical service bulletin in February 2016.

Unlike in a safety recall, companies are not required to notify vehicle owners of problems under a technical service bulletin, which means it is up to the vehicle owners to bring their cars in to service centers to initiate repairs.

But the transportation ministry decided the problem in the vehicle did create serious safety concerns based on reports from the Korea Transportation Safety Authority in June and ordered the local importer to make a safety recall. And after months of discussions with the German manufacturer of the car, the company submitted its plans for the recall to the government last week, the ministry said.

The recall affects 1,534 Audi A8 4.2 FSI Quattro cars produced between July 16, 2010, and April 13, 2012.

The recall will be the first of its kind in the world as the problem in the car was first identified here, the ministry said, noting the German automaker was expected to announce a recall of same model year cars sold in the United States later in the month.

Free repair services will be available starting Thursday at any Audi Volkswagen Korea service centers. (Yonhap)