India's biggest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki, is reportedly recalling over 180,000 cars for a 'possible defect'. This is one of the largest product recalls in the Indian passenger vehicle market and probably the largest ever for the company.
What are the models being recalled?
The models recalled are petrol variants of Ciaz, Ertiga, Vitara Brezza, S-Cross, and XL6, manufactured between May 4, 2018 to October 27, 2020.
The company, accordig to reports, has scheduled first week of November as date for the fix. “In the interest of customers, Maruti Suzuki has decided to voluntarily recall the affected vehicles for inspection/replacement of Motor Generator Unit, free of cost. Affected vehicle owners would be receiving a communication from Maruti Suzuki authorized workshops," the company said in a BSE filing.
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Customers have been asked to avoid waterlogged areas or direct a water spray towards the electrical and electronic components of their vehicles.
The company said that affected vehicles owners will be contacted by authorised workshops. The largest recall for cars in India, according to SIAM, \was by Volkswagen and Skoda in 2016, involving over 285,000 units for a software update.
If you are a Maruti customer, here is what you should know:
The replacement of the affected part shall start from the first week of November 2021. Till then, customers are requested to avoid driving in water logged areas and direct water spray on electrical/electronic parts in vehicle.
Customers of suspected vehicles can also visit the ‘Imp Customer Info’ section on the Company websites www.marutisuzuki.com (for Ertiga and Vitara Brezza) or www.nexaexperience.com (for Ciaz, XL6 and S-Cross) and fill-in their vehicle’s chassis number (MA3, followed by 14 digit alpha-numeric number) to check if their vehicle needs any attention.
The chassis number is embossed on the vehicle ID plate and is also mentioned in the vehicle invoice/registration documents.
