Maruti Suzuki announces its largest recall to rectify safety defects

Maruti Suzuki is recalling 181,754 cars to inspect and rectify possible safety defects in one of the biggest vehicle recalls in the country.

India’s largest carmaker will try to repair faults in the petrol variants of Ciaz, Ertiga, Vitara Brezza, S-Cross, and XL6 that were manufactured between May 4, 2018 and October 27, 2020.

The latest recall is the biggest ever for the company, which sells one in every two cars in the country. Earlier, in April 2014, Maruti Suzuki had recalled 103,311 units of its popular models Ertiga, Swift and DZire -- manufactured between November 12, 2013 and February 4, 2014 -- to replace faulty fuel filler necks.

This is also the second vehicle recall by Maruti Suzuki in less than 10 months. In November last year, the company recalled 40,453 units of the Eeco to fix a fault in the vehicle’s headlamp. The recalled units were manufactured between November 4, 2019 and February 25, 2020.

Leading manufacturers such as Hyundai Motor India, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Toyota Kirloskar Motor saw recalls this year primarily due to the malfunctioning of fuel pumps and airbags, incorrect fitment of parts, and critical braking issues.

The recalled vehicles will be inspected and if any fault is found in their motor generator unit, that will be replaced free of cost. Owners of the affected vehicles will be contacted and notified by Maruti Suzuki’s authorised workshops. The repairs will be conducted from the first week of November 2021 in a phased manner, the company said.

Until then, Maruti has advised its customers to avoid driving in waterlogged areas and spray water directly on the electrical/electronic parts of the vehicle.

To check if a vehicle has been affected, customers have been asked to visit the company’s website (for the Vitara Brezza and Ertiga) or the Nexa website (for the XL6, S-Cross and Ciaz). One needs to fill in their vehicle chassis number to check if it needs attention.

India does not have a mandatory vehicle recall policy. In 2012, the Society for Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) introduced a voluntary recall code for its members. The code puts the responsibility of recalling a defective vehicle, be it a two-wheeler, passenger car or a commercial vehicle, on the manufacturer.