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      Maruti Suzuki fined Rs. 3 lakh for selling a defective car

      CarTrade Editorial Team

      CarTrade Editorial Team

      In a major blow to the reputation of Maruti Suzuki, the apex consumer commission has asked the country's largest passenger car maker to pay a sum of Rs. 3 lakh for selling a defective car to a customer 10 years ago. The appeal that was filed at the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) was looked over by a bench headed by Justice KS Chaudhari held Maruti Suzuki responsible for the faulty vehicle. The order that the bench gave was a modified account of what State and District consumer forum of Karnataka had suggested to the car manufacturer. In the previous order the consumer forum of the state upheld a fine of Rs. 17000 for Maruti Suzuki and further told to replace the WagonR car with a new one.

      Maruti Suzuki fined Rs. 3 lakh for selling a defective car
      Maruti Suzuki fined Rs. 3 lakh for selling a defective car
       

      Industry experts have expressed their surprise at this incident and described it as a rare occurrence. For a long time now, Maruti Suzuki has developed a reputation for delivering top class after services. Therefore, this sort of incident has come as a shock to a lot of industry experts. The NCDRC observed that the vehicle in question was flawed as it got repaired many times but the problem persisted. The court passed the orders that the complainant deserved a good amount of compensation for his eight-year-long litigation in order to get his grievance redressed.

      The joint bench concluded that "Since the vehicle was taken to the workshop a number of times and every time some part or the other was changed, it leads to the conclusion that there is significant defect in the vehicle. It becomes crystal clear that the complainant has undergone a lot of mental harassment and agony, amounting to torture, because of defects in the vehicle. There cannot be a case of bigger mental harassment than to carry the vehicle for repairs to the workshop so many times. The complainant has also been agitating the matters in consumer courts for the last eight years and still has to get the requisite relief. He, therefore, deserves handsome compensation as he has been a victim of circumstances and he has fought a valiant struggle to get his grievance redressed."

      The counsel present for Maruti Suzuki told that its dealers and the company have contended with all issues relating to the defective car and the same were fixed whenever the vehicle came for repairs. The order came while dismissing Maruti Suzuki and its authorised dealer's appeals against the rulings of the state and district consumer forum.

      On part of the complainant, Pravenchandra Shetty, the counsel said that right from the beginning, the car suffered the problem of abnormal vibrations that could not be rectified despite getting the parts replaced every time. He further said that the reports and statements prepared by experts of National Institute of Technology, Karnataka, had also indicated that the car suffered from manufacturing flaws. Looking into the case, the NCDRC mainly relied on the facts shown by the technological institute apart from checking the numerous repair records of the car in order to pass their judgement. The commission also concluded that since the vehicle had a run for more than 1 lakh km from 2003 till now, it directed Maruti Suzuki to pay a lump sum amount worth Rs. 3 lakh.

      Maruti Suzuki