Every now and then, there is news of OEMs recalling their cars. The practice is so common that we don’t pay attention to it. But a recall goes beyond just the newspaper headlines. It is quite a big deal both for the consumer and the OEM. And now that we’ve triggered your curiosity, here’s all about automobile recalls in India.
What Is An Automobile Recall?
As the name suggests, an automotive recall is a practice of recalling vehicles by OEMs due to a variety of reasons. These recalls are generally done by the OEM on their own but can also be done on a government directive. The objective of an automotive recall is usually to prevent damage to the recalled product, fix issues, or reduce the risk of death or injury to the user, which may be caused by the recalled product.
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Is it mandatory to recall vehicles?
Until 2019, India did not have any legal provisions governing automotive recalls. Recalls before 2019 were purely initiated by the OEMs under a set guideline issued by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).
In 2019 however, the amended Motor Vehicle Act and the Consumer Protection Act were enforced, bringing automotive recalls well within its purview. Under the new rules, the central government can now order an OEM to recall its vehicles if there is any evidence of a defect potential to cause damage to the occupant, environment, pedestrians etc.
The government can now ask OEMs to recall if a defect is noted by several users of a specific vehicle or if a defect is noted by any other testing agency. Per the order, the OEM must recall all vehicle units, irrespective of their variant type. The government also has the power to levy heavy penalties and fines on the OEMs and direct them to replace the faulty units altogether, which wasn’t the case with voluntary recalls.
If you are interested in knowing more about the new automotive recall policy, stay pinned as we will detail the entire law governing automotive recall in detail in the coming week.
How does an automotive recall work?
As already noted above, an automotive recall can be undertaken either as per the directions of the government or voluntarily by the OEMs. In a voluntary recall, as soon as an automaker becomes aware of a potential defect, they usually communicate to the affected customers via their official channels. These include newspaper releases, website notices, emails, Whatsapp, or dealer-end communications.
If the customer does not respond to the communication, the company will undertake a follow-up. Once a customer is informed about the recall, their vehicles are called in for inspection, and faulty part/s are replaced free of cost. Once initiated, a recall process usually completes in about a year. Three years after the recall was first initiated, it became inactive.
In India, every voluntary automotive recall is recorded in the books of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and their e-resources. If you are interested in Indian automotive recalls over the years, you can visit SIAM’s Official Automotive Recall Repository.
So this was all about Vehicle Recall in India. Stay pinned to the GoMechanic Blog for everything automotive.
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