Maruti Suzuki on Thursday said it will challenge the Raipur Consumer Court’s order directing it to replace a customer’s Grand Vitara with a brand new E20-compatible model.
Concluding that the complainant’s Grand Vitara car was not compatible with E20 fuel and suffered serious engine damage, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Raipur, directed Maruti Suzuki to replace the car with a new E20-compatible vehicle.
The Commission also ordered the manufacturer and the dealer to jointly pay Rs 1 lakh as compensation for mental harassment and Rs 10,000 towards litigation expenses. The total liability under the order comes to around Rs 21.60 lakh.
The Commission has given the opposite parties 45 days to comply. It said 7 per cent annual interest would apply to the amount in case of non-compliance within the stipulated period.
Reacting to the Commission’s order, Maruti Suzuki said that the car in the case was E20-compatible and the same was disclosed in the owner’s manual.
The manufacturer further claimed that the fuel collected from the customer’s vehicle was “contaminated”, asserting that several other relevant facts have not been reflected in the order.
“The car in this case was an E20-compatible car, fully equipped to handle E20 fuel and as disclosed in the owner’s manual. There is evidence of contamination in the fuel collected from the customer’s vehicle. Several other relevant facts have also not been reflected in the order,” the automaker said in a statement.
The company further states that it will challenge the Raipur Consumer Court’s order before a higher forum.
“Maruti Suzuki will take necessary steps to challenge the impugned order before the appropriate higher forum in accordance with law,” the statement read.
Maruti Suzuki further expressed its commitment to quality, safety and customer satisfaction through robust engineering, processes and systems.