Electrical glitch forces Maruti Suzuki to make its largest-ever recall of over 1.8 lakh cars including Ertiga, Ciaz & S-Cross

Maruti Suzuki has announced a recall of 1,81,754 units of petrol variants of Ciaz, Ertiga, Vitara Brezza, S-Cross, and XL6 to inspect/replace motor-generators free of cost.

This is to inspect for a possible defect in 181,754 units of these models manufactured between 4th May 2018 to 27th October 2020. The replacement of the affected part shall start from the first week of November 2021.

In the meanwhile, the company has advised customers to avoid driving in waterlogged areas or directing a water spray towards the electrical and electronic components of their vehicles.

“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 auto major mentioned in a regulatory filing today.

Customers of suspected vehicles can also visit the ‘Imp Customer Info’ section on the Company websites www.marutisuzuki.com (for Ertiga and Vitara Brezza) or www.nexaexperience.com (for Ciaz, XL6 and S-Cross) and fill-in their vehicle’s chassis number (MA3, followed by 14 digit alpha-numeric number) to check if their vehicle needs any attention.

Affected vehicle owners would be receiving a communication from Maruti Suzuki authorised workshops. Alternatively, owners of these suspected vehicles can check if their vehicle is on the recall list through an online check using the vehicle’s chassis number.

The country’s largest carmaker expects output to plunge in September as the semiconductor shortage hits production.

Total volume could be about 40% of normal output in September, the company said in an exchange filing Tuesday.

This is the largest recall for Maruti Suzuki so far, as per data from the Society of Indian Automotive Manufacturers (SIAM). The company had earlier recalled almost 135,000 units of WagonR and Baleno in July 2020.

The largest recall for cars in India so far was by Volkswagen and Skoda in 2016, involving over 285,000 units for a software update in their diesel engines, SIAM data show. This was after it was discovered that the company installed software on its vehicles to cheat emissions tests.