Shanghai GM would recall the Chevrolet Captiva 2006, 2007 and 2008 off-road vehicles due to ineffective steering systems in the Chinese mainland starting on Friday, the country's top quality watchdog said.

The vehicles were produced by GM Daewoo, a unit of U.S. carmaker General Motors based in the Republic of Korea (ROK), and were imported by the China-based Shanghai GM, said a statement posted on the official website of the regulator, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ).

The watchdog also warned Chinese car owners to stop driving the vehicles as ineffective steering systems could lead to accidents.

Shanghai GM would recall all the Chevrolet Captiva off-road vehicles produced before Dec. 31, 2007, according to the statement.

A total of 2,065 vehicles were involved in the recall in the Chinese mainland, the statement said.

Shanghai GM would be responsible for checking and repairing faulty steering systems of the recalled vehicles, the statement said.

The watchdog also ordered a halt to imports of Chevrolet Captiva cars made by GM Daewoo. It also required quality inspection agencies to examine the company's other types of cars being imported to China "one by one."