In September 2013, Ford Motors India said it recalled 2,95,648 units of the Figo and Classic. This was the eighth major recall by Ford India in 2013 - the highest in a single year.
On November 1, 2014, German luxury car maker Audi announced that it was recalling 6,758 units of its A4 sedans, manufactured between November 2011 and October 2014, to upgrade software in the airbag control unit. They claimed it was just a minor issue.
On October 27, 2014, Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) announced a recall for 1040 units of Honda Brio, 1235 units of Honda Amaze and 63 units of Honda CR-V, all manufactured between September 2011 and July 2014 for a faulty airbags on the driver side.
These and other reports have been appearing with monotonous regularity in the nation’s newspapers in the past two years. You wouldn’t have read such reports even a couple of years back. In the early days, when you discovered a problem with your car, you went to the service station and complained. If the problem was minor they would tweak it and fix it. If it was serious enough and warranted a change of the defective part, the people at the service station would quietly change it and ask you to stay quiet and ensure that it was kept out of the press. Mostly, the customer was relieved to have got the problem fixed for free so he or she didn’t take it further. Discretion could guarantee you better service the next time!
By Mohan Sinha
