BEIJING (Reuters) - General Motors Co's (>> General Motors Company) joint venture with SAIC Motor Corp Ltd (>> SAIC Motor Corporation Limited) will recall about 2.16 million vehicles starting Aug. 15 because the engine crankcase valves may corrode, China's principal consumer protection watchdog said on Thursday.

The recall applies to roughly 834,000 Buick Excelle vehicles, 1.1 million Chevy Cruzes, 159,000 Chevy Epicas and 18,000 Chevy Aveos, according to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

A Shanghai-based spokeswoman for GM confirmed that the recall only affects China, but did not provide further details.

(Reporting by Beijing monitoring desk and Jake Spring; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)

Stocks treated in this article : SAIC Motor Corporation Limited, General Motors Company