BackGM to recall 155,000 units of Spark, Beat, Enjoy models
Recall the largest for the vehicle maker in India, surpassing the recall of 114,000 units of the Tavera in 2013
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New Delhi: General Motors India Pvt. Ltd on Monday said it will recall as many as 155,000 units of two small cars and a utility vehicle because of safety concerns.
This is its largest such exercise in India, surpassing the controversial recall of the multi-utility vehicle Tavera in 2013, when it recalled 114,000 units over issues related to emissions and regulatory standards.
The current round involves the Spark and Beat cars and Enjoy utility vehicles manufactured between 2007 and 2014.
“GM India has initiated a vehicle safety recall on MY07 to MY14 Chevrolet Spark, Beat and Enjoy vehicles fitted with a remote keyless entry accessory," the company said in a statement.
GM India said the remote keyless entry accessory meets all relevant regulatory standards.
“However, GM India has been made aware of some isolated cases where certain Chevrolet Spark, Beat and Enjoy vehicles were fitted with faulty accessories," it said. “As a result, the impacted Chevrolet Spark, Beat and Enjoy vehicles could experience damage to the vehicle due to inappropriate routing."
There is a safety and security issue, said Bertrand D’Souza, editor of Overdrive, an automobile magazine.
“With regard to safety, it could lead to fire in the engine bay. Also, it could leave passengers stranded (in case of a fire) since the vehicle disables the keyless entry system," D’Souza said.
GM India will contact all affected customers to correct the fitting of the remote keyless entry accessory free of charge.
If a customer has any concerns related to their remote keyless entry accessory, he can visit the nearest company dealership for a free inspection.
In recent years, there have been a series of instances where cars have caught fire while on the move. The government wants to ensure that car makers offer quality cars, similar to what they sell in developed markets.
The industry has maintained that after-market fitting of electrical accessories in cars lead to fires.
Last year, UK-based vehicle-testing agency Global New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) said many Indian cars, including Maruti Suzuki India Ltd’s Swift hatchback and Nissan India’s Datsun Go were “unstable" and could increase the “probability of life-threatening injuries" in case of an accident.
The agency gave zero-star adult protection ratings to some of India’s top-selling car models, including Maruti’s Alto, Tata Motors Ltd’s Nano, Volkswagen India’s Polo, Hyundai’s i10 and Ford India’s Figo hatchback.
Volkswagen and Toyota have since decided to offer the Polo and Etios brands in India with two airbags as standard. These models subsequently received a four-star safety rating.
To be sure, the 2013 Tavera recall got GM India a lot of bad press. More than 20 executives, including four top managers, were asked to leave the company as it scrambled to resurrect the brand in the country.
Indian car makers are becoming proactive about recalls, suggesting that a voluntary code put in place by the industry in 2013 is working and that they’ve been able to overcome the stigma attached to such exercises in a climate in which companies are seeking to revive sales after a three-year downturn.
Unlike developed markets such as Europe, Japan and the US, India still has no official recall policy. Typically, an auto maker in India makes an announcement offering to fix any defects and replace faulty components, but escapes penalties and punishments common in developed markets.
The new motor vehicles bill, which has been drafted by the ministry for road transport and highways and is now in the public domain for debate and feedback, includes provisions for penalizing errant vehicle manufacturers.
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