The KBA said some components delivered to car parts retailers and independent workshops were found to be faulty and could break.

Opel said the warning was an effort to identify vehicles that had not been repaired in an earlier recall launched by the General Motors (>> General Motors Company) division in September 2014.

It said 95 percent of the vehicles which might be affected had already been checked.

The KBA's warning comes as national vehicle authorities face pressure to conduct more stringent spot checks on cars and to surrender powers to the European Commission in the wake of Volkswagen's (>> Volkswagen AG) emissions test cheating.

In November, Opel's sister brand Vauxhall recalled 220,000 Zafira cars to inspect their heating and ventilation systems and ascertain the cause of fire-related incidents.

(Editing by Mark Potter)

By Andreas Cremer and Edward Taylor

Stocks treated in this article : Volkswagen AG, General Motors Company