More than 5.3 million automobiles were recalled in China in 2013, said the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine on Friday.

The year saw more automobiles recalled than any other year before, when a total of 133 recalls were conducted, said the administration.

In 2012, there were 113 recalls issued on automobiles, and about 1.2 million automobiles were recalled.

Of the complaints quality inspection authorities received in 2013, cars ranked the third most-complained about consumer good, according to the administration. The complaints mostly pointed to the engine, gears, brakes and suspension.

Food ranked as the first most-complained about by consumers, with complaints focused on issues such as food going bad within the expiration date, non-edible matter being detected in drinks and the absence of a production date on the package.

For mobile phones, which ranked the fourth most-complained about, the complaints focused on issues including touch screens being slow, the lower than the standard battery capacity and current leakage of chargers.

A total of 825,000 complaints on consumer goods were received in 2013.