Maruti Suzuki recalls 1.82 lakh cars to inspect and rectify safety defects

NEW DELHI: Maruti Suzuki on Friday announced a recall of 1,81,754 units of its passenger vehicles to inspect and rectify possible safety defects. This is the largest recall exercise by the largest carmaker and third-largest by any four-wheeler manufacturer in the country.

The affected cars include Ciaz, Ertiga, Vitara Brezza, S-Cross and XL6 which were manufactured between May 4, 2018 and October 27, 2020. “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 authorised workshops,” the company said in a regulatory filing.

Alternatively, vehicle owners can check if their vehicle is on the recall list through an online check using the vehicle’s chassis number. The repairs will be conducted in a phased manner from the first week of November 2021. Until then, MSIL has advised its customers to avoid driving in waterlogged areas and spraying water directly on electrical/electronic parts of the vehicle.

This is the second recall announced by Maruti in less than 10 months. In November last year, the carmaker had recalled 40,453 units of the Eeco to fix an issue with the vehicle’s headlamp. Maruti, in July last year, had also announced a recall for about 1.35 lakh units of WagonR (1 Litre) and Baleno for a possible issue with the fuel pump.

Other carmakers such as M&M, Hyundai Motor India and Toyota Kirloskar Motor saw recalls in recent times due to malfunctioning of certain equipment. For example, M&M had last month recalled 29,878 units of its pick up vehicles to replace faulty fluid pipe amid suspicion of improper assembly. This was the third time in 2021 when M&M had issued a recall.