Maruti Suzuki recalls 87,599 units of S-Presso, Eeco

India's largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd has announced a recall to recall 87,599 vehicles - S-Presso and Eeco - manufactured between July 5, 2021 and February 15, 2023.

“It is suspected that there is a possible defect in a part of the steering tie rod, used in such vehicles, which in a rare case, may break and affect vehicle steerability and handling,” the carmaker says in a stock exchange filing.

Affected vehicle owners will be receiving communication from Maruti Suzuki authorised dealer workshops for inspection and replacement of the faulty part, free of cost, the carmaker says.

The said recall is effective from July 24, 2023.

This comes six months after Maruti Suzuki recalled a total of 17,362 vehicles due to a possible defect in the airbag controller. The affected models included Alto K10, S-Presso, Eeco, Brezza, Baleno and Grand Vitara. The recall was undertaken to inspect and replace airbags, if required, in these vehicles. “It is suspected that there is a possible defect in affected part, which in rare case might result in non-deployment of the airbags and seat belt pretensioners, in the event of a vehicle crash,” Maruti Suzuki had said at the time. “Out of abundant caution, customers of the suspected vehicles are advised not to drive or use the vehicle till the affected part is replaced. Affected vehicle owners will be receiving communication from Maruti Suzuki authorised workshops for immediate attention,” it had said.

The union government had last year extended the deadline for mandatory implementation of six airbags in passenger cars to October 1, 2023.

Last month, South Korean carmaker Kia recalled 30,297 units of Kia Carens in India for a software update. The recall campaign has been initiated to inspect any potential error in the cluster booting process that may cause the cluster to go blank, the automaker said.

“The company conducts regular checks and rigorous testing of components, governed by Kia's global standard. The company has initiated the recall campaign for vehicle inspection and, if required, a free-of-cost software update,” the company said, adding it will take utmost care to minimise inconvenience to customers throughout this campaign.

Kia India will directly reach out to the owners of the concerned vehicles to update them about this voluntary recall campaign. Customers of the affected vehicles would be required to contact their respective Kia authorised dealers to schedule an appointment. In October last year, the carmaker recalled 44,174 units of Kia Carens to inspect any potential error in airbag control module software.