GM recalls 114,000 units of Tavera

Third recall made by auto makers this month

In one of the largest vehicle recalls in India, General Motors India today said it is recalling 114,000 units of its multi-purpose vehicle Chevrolet Tavera, manufactured between 2005 and 2013. This is the third major recall made by auto makers in India this month.

While Ford India recalled 972 units of diesel-powered EcoSport soon after its launch, two-wheeler maker India Yamaha Motor also announced its decision to recall 56,082 units of its scooter 'Ray' after detecting insufficient strength in the handlebar of some vehicles due to inadequate welding.

"General Motors India (GMI)... Is voluntarily recalling the Chevrolet Tavera BS3 (2.5L variant) and BS4 (2.0L variant) from model years 2005-2013 to address emissions and specification issues," the company said in a statement. The 114,000 affected vehicles will be repaired free of charge at GM's 280 dealers.

The company said it has informed the Indian government authorities of an emissions issue involving the Tavera BSIII and an issue with the Tavera BSIV meeting certain specifications. The issues are not safety-related, it clarified.

GM stopped production and sale of the Tavera BSIII on June 4 and the Tavera BSIV on July 2. The auto maker said it has since identified a solution to the issues and performed the required engineering validation, and is awaiting regulatory approvals. "After the proposed solution receives approval from authorities, General Motors will resume Tavera production and sale, and move forward with its recall and customer notification plan for both the BSIII and BSIV models”, the statement added.

The recall of Tavera comes close on the heels of General Motors’supending production of Tavera and the diesel variants of both the hatchback and sedan versions of Sail model earlier last month. General Motors is still investigating in the case of the Sail model to ascertain how many units have been affected and it is understood that there could be possible recall of the model.

The company had said it will resume production of the diesel variants of Sail hatchback and sedan by the end of this month, while that of Tavera BS III by the end of August.

Since industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) had announced voluntary recall policy of its members last July, nearly 200,000 vehicles have been recalled by automobile manufacturers in India.