Jaguar Land Rover recalls 36,000 SUVs in China after media exposé

* To recall 36,451 Range Rover Evoque from 2014, 2015

* Follows report on faulty gearboxes

* Blames fault on software (Rewrites; adds Jaguar Land Rover comments)

SHANGHAI, March 20 (Reuters) - Jaguar Land Rover Ltd on Friday said it is recalling nearly 36,500 Range Rover Evoque sport utility vehicles (SUVs), after local media reported the British luxury carmaker used faulty gearboxes.

Jaguar Land Rover earlier apologised for gearbox issues via its microblog after being criticised by state television on Sunday along with peers Volkswagen AG (Other OTC: VLKAF - news) and Nissan Motor Co.

The automaker is already under the spotlight of Chinese regulators investigating possible anti-competitive behaviour in the world's largest auto market, where the firm has said slowing growth is likely to halve its sales expansion rate this year.

On Friday, Jaguar Land Rover said in a statement it is recalling 36,451 Evoques from model years 2014 and 2015 due to software-related complaints including "poor gear shift quality, increased transmission noise and the inability to select drive when the vehicle is restarted under certain conditions."

Jaguar Land Rover said it will upgrade gearbox software free of charge, and extend the warranty period of affected gearboxes to 7 years after the date of purchase from 3 years, or 240,000 km rather than 100,000 km, whichever comes first.

On Thursday, China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) requested the recall in a statement on its website.

The automaker, owned by India's Tata Motor Ltd, must take immediate measures to recall and repair defective vehicles and extend their warranty period, the AQSIQ said. (Reporting by Brenda Goh; Additional reporting by Norihiko Shirouzu; Editing by Christopher Cushing)