Ford India Private Limited, the 6th largest car manufacturer in India, has been given notice by the consumer court to pay Rs. 75,000 to one of its customers for the 'harassment' he faced due to a faulty model. N Ranganathan had been dealing with the frequent breakdowns of his Ford model for more than 6 years.
Tamil Nadu-based Ford India challenged the decision by the District Forum by appealing to the Delhi Consumer Commission. However, the Delhi Consumer Commission has rejected the manufacturer's petition and has ordered it to pay the compensation to the Delhi-based consumer.
Barkat Ali Zaidi, the Head of the Commission, stated, “It is the duty of the dealer/manufacturer under the law to provide a defect free vehicle to the purchaser. It becomes clear from the facts that the vehicle was suffering from various defects which were most likely manufacturing defects. None of the opposite parties led any evidence in support of their contention that the defects were due to rash and negligent driving and were result of external impact.”
Ranganathan had purchased the Ford car on 7th December, 2004 at the cost of Rs. 4.95 lacs. On the very first day, he discovered that the central locking system of the model is not working properly. He drove his new vehicle to a Delhi car dealer who told him that this problem is arising due to ‘mechanical defects’.
The brake shoe issue followed the faulty central locking system in the very next month, which was again resolved by the car dealer. In that same month, his car broke down during the trip from Jaipur to New Delhi. This problem compelled him to take the vehicle to an Agra-based car dealer who rectified the problem.
In April 2005, the rear side glass of the model broke down because of sub-standard quality material, faulty implantation and inefficient fitting. After fixing the rear side glass, Ranganathan faced the issue of suspension in May, which forced him to shell out more money in order to rectify the problem.
Ranganathan finally decided to seek the help of the District Forum. He filed a case against Ford India, in which he claimed Rs. 4.30 lacs, apart from demanding refund for the cost of the car or replacement of the model.
