Vehicle Recalls Not Mandatory Yet: Government

The government recently informed that it has no proposition to ask vehicle manufacturers to conduct mandatory recalls in case defects are discovered in a model.

By Kritika Sethi

1 mins read

Published on April 22, 2015

Highlights

The government recently informed that it has no proposition to ask vehicle manufacturers to conduct mandatory recalls in case defects are discovered in a model. Currently companies issue voluntary recalls if defects are found; applicable for all manufacturers, if a company believes that there is a manufacturing defect that compromises safety of vehicles, it will voluntarily rectify the problem free of cost to the customer. However, there is no directive for mandatory recalls in such cases. Upon being asked if the government had any proposal in which "vehicle manufacturers may have to face mandatory recall rather than hiding behind voluntary recalls when a particular model is found to be defective", Minister of State for Heavy Industries G M Siddheshwara replied in the negative. Interestingly, the draft Road Transport and Safety Bill 2015 did advise a mandatory recall policy for vehicles. Additionally, it even suggested that manufacturers should be made liable to compensate for damage incurred as a consequence of a manufacturing defect in vehicles. Penalties for failure to notify about manufacturing defects was also a part of the draft. Under the voluntary recall policy introduced in July, 2012 by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), more than 7 lakh vehicles have been recalled till now. (With inputs from PTI)

Last Updated on April 22, 2015