CHENNAI: A city consumer forum has directed Hyundai Motors and the Kun Hyundai showroom in Anna Nagar to replace the engine assembly in a complainant’s vehicle with a new one and after service, deliver the vehicle to the complainant “in a working condition.”The complainant, DRA Industries, purchased a Hyundai Creta from the Kun Hyundai showroom by a tax invoice on September 24, 2015 and the vehicle was delivered to complainant the next day.
The complainant claimed to hear ‘abnormal noise’ within three months of purchase from the engine and saw white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. “It would be appropriate to direct the opposite parties to replace the engine assembly with new one and service the vehicle in working condition and hand it over to the complainant without demanding money from him,” said the District Consumer Redressal Forum, Chennai (North), presided over by president K Jayabalan recently.
Despite repeated rounds of service, the complainant said the problem was not resolved. And on March 22, 2016, they received an e-mail from the manager of the showroom informing that the vehicle was inspected by a team and it was found that there was a defect in the engine part and they got approval to replace the engine assembly.
The car manufacturers, on their part, denied that there was a manufacturing defect. “The complainant had suppressed the material fact that the injectors of engine were damaged due to seepage of water and that was the reason for emanation of white smoke and hence there is no manufacturing defect in the engine,” Hyundai Motors said in their argument. “As a goodwill gesture the second opposite party (Kun Hyundai) agreed to replace the engine assembly,” the vehicle dealer said. Claiming that the vehicle had a manufacturing defect, the complainant said he should receive a new vehicle or be refunded for the cost of the vehicle. The forum, however, dismissed this and directed the manufacturer and dealer to jointly replace the engine of the vehicle.