Maruti to recall the new Swift and Baleno to inspect brake vacuum hose

Maruti launched the Baleno in May 2016 and the new Swift in February this year

Maruti Suzuki India will undertake a “service campaign” for its new Swift and Baleno models to inspect for a possible fault in the brake vacuum hose. The campaign would cover 52,686 Swift and Baleno cars manufactured between December 1, 2017 and March 16, 2018, the company said in a statement on its website on Tuesday.

The company stopped short of terming it a recall, as the defect is not related to safety or emission. The campaign was being undertaken to avoid any potential inconvenience to customers, it said, adding that owners of the vehicles included in this service campaign would be contacted by dealers for inspection and replacement of the faulty part from May 14 onwards. The inspection and replacement will be done free of cost.

Maruti has requested customers of new Swift and Baleno to fill in the chassis number (MBH followed by 14 digit alpha-numeric number) on the computer screen. The chassis number is embossed on the vehicle ID plate and is also in the vehicle invoice/registration documents.  

Auto firms in India have recalled 118,000 two-wheelers, cars and SUVs in the calendar year 2018, which is higher than the number of recalls in the whole of 2017, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam).

Auto firms in India have recalled 118,000 two-wheelers, cars and SUVs in the calendar year 2018 Photo: Reuters

India, unlike some of the other auto markets, does not have a policy on vehicle recall. The industry adopted a voluntary code of recall in July 2012. 

Maruti recalled 47,237 units of the Swift (older generation) in April 2014 “to check fuel smell and leakage” and 592 units in November 2013 to check for unapproved steering column assembly. As many as 91,414 units of the Baleno came to Maruti workshops in May 2016 to fix potential fuel seepage in the diesel variant and fix possible malfunction in airbag controller in both the petrol and diesel variants. 

Maruti launched the all-new generation Swift in February 2018 and has over one lakh customers in the queue for the car. Baleno, the premium hatchback that went on sale in March 2016, has been a segment leader with the average sale of 15,000 to 17000 units a month. Both the models share the same platform.