National carmaker Proton announced today a recall of 2,996 of its 1.6 litre Waja models due to defects in their aluminum alloy wheel rims.

The alloy rims have been found to be technically defective, Proton's joint chief operating officer Kisai Rahmat said, adding that the cars were sold from June 2004 to January this year.

"During our accelerated testing of this particular component, the alloy wheels encountered some difficulties and failed the test," chairman Mohamad Azlan Hashim said, according to the Bernama news agency.

Check at service centres

Mohamed said customers who bought Waja models during the period were requested to have their cars checked at a Proton service centre and have the rims replaced if they are found to be faulty.

Proton used to sell six out of every 10 new cars in Malaysia but its market share has been tumbling for the past few years as it feels the bite of growing foreign competition as the government whittles away protection.

From a market share of 60 percent in 2002, Proton saw a decline to 48 percent in 2003 and then 44 percent in 2004.

Its malaise is also blamed on Proton's reputation for poor-quality vehicles and after-sales service.