Carmakers now see India as a key market; recalls to enhance product testings.
In one of the biggest recalls so far, Ford India, the Indian unit of the US carmaker, has recalled around 1.66 lakh units of its small car Figo and sedan Classic for potential issues related to the rear twist beam (RTB) and power-assisted steering (PAS) hose.
Ford said a total of 1,31,922 cars (1,09,469 units of the Ford Figo and 22,453 units of the Ford Classic), produced and sold from January 2011 till June 2012, will need to be inspected, but “will not necessarily need (RTB) part replacements”.
In the case of the PAS hose, 34,099 cars (30,681 units of the Figo and 3,418 units of the Classic), produced and sold in India from January-August 2010 to March-November 2011, will be inspected and then replaced.
The recall, announced on Friday, is an extension of the initiative taken by the company last year, wherein it voluntarily recalled 1,28,000 units of the Figo and the Classic manufactured between January 2008 and December 2010.
“No injuries or accidents related to the RTB or PAS issues have been reported.
Ford India is proactively contacting owners of the potentially affected vehicles via notification letters through its nationwide dealership network,” the company said.
According to reports, auto companies have recalled more than 2 lakh vehicles in the past 12-15 months, since the adoption of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers’ ‘voluntary recall code’ in July 2012.
Industry experts said Friday’s Ford recall could well be the biggest of its kind so far in the country.
Tata Motors had replaced starter motors in 1.39 lakh units of its small car Nano in 2011, while General Motors recalled 1.14 lakh units of the Chevrolet Tavera in July this year to address issues relating to emissions and specifications.
Experts said that frequent recalls announced by various auto companies appear to be a sign that the companies concerned may be getting more customer-oriented.
“It shows that carmakers now see India as an important market. Such recalls will help product testings go to much deeper levels,” said Puneet Gupta, associate director, IHS automotive sales forecasting.
Recently, Ford had also recalled around 972 units of the diesel variant of the EcoSport, its newest compact sports utility vehicle, due to issues relating to the positioning of glow plug module.
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