While Tata Motors Limited did not recall a single vehicle in 2021, Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) topped the chart in the same year.
As per the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) report , the largest automaker in the Country, MSIL recalled the maximum numbers of vehicles (181754) in the year 2021.
The models it recalled included petrol variants of Ciaz, Ertiga, XL-6, Brezza, S-Cross and others manufactured between May 4, 2018 and Oct 27, 2020.
As per the SIAM report, MSIL recalled the vehicles over a possible defect in Motor Generator Unit (MGU) due to water entry in the electrical circuitry which may result in short circuiting and in rare case, may further cause smoke from engine room. Water entry is possible while driving the vehicle in extremely water-logged conditions or engine room washing with high pressure water jets.
While MSIL grappled with water ingress issues, Tata Motors Limited did not require recalling even a single vehicle in 2021.
Honda Cars India Limited followed MSIL at the second spot recalling 77954 cars that included almost all of its petrol models; Amaze, City, WR-V, Jazz, Civic, BR-V and CR-V.
Similarly, Renault India Pvt Ltd recalled a total of 75305 Tribers (All variant) manufactured between May 24, 2019 and June 1, 2021. The French auto giant conducted a voluntary recall campaign to modify one of the design elements on its Model Triber, causing a risk to the hood opening mechanism.
It should be noted that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) had announced last year that it will come up with a slew of rules to streamline the process of vehicle recalls in India from April 1, 2021.
According to reports, a mandatory recall will have to be issued for those two-wheelers with annual sales of up to 3,000 units if at least 20 per cent of vehicles sold in a year report the same defect. Similarly, two-wheelers with annual sales of over 3,000 units and up to 60,000 units will be recalled if at least 600 vehicles in addition to 10 per cent of the vehicles sold in a year encounter the same issue.
The Ministry has also set a threshold for four-wheelers; in the case of models with annual sales of up to 500 units, a recall will be issued if 20 per cent of the vehicles (annual) report the same issue.
It is pertinent to mention here that a fault in the hood design in a Nissan SUV forced the Japanese automaker to recall more than 300,000 Pathfinders in the United States on Wednesday.
As per a report in Reuters, Nissan Motor Co (7201.T) is recalling more than 300,000 SUVs in the United States over an issue in which the hood suddenly opens, obstructing the driver's view and increasing the risk of a crash.
The Japanese automaker's North American division said 322,671 Pathfinder vehicles for models between 2013 and 2016 are subjected to the recall. The recall will also involve about 37,700 vehicles of the models in Canada, a Nissan spokesperson said on Wednesday, adding they are not sold in Japan.