Vehicle Recalls Not Mandatory Yet: Government

Upon being asked if the government had any proposal in which "vehicle manufacturers may have to face mandatory recall rather than hiding behind voluntary recalls when a particular model is found to be defective", Minister of State for Heavy Industries G M Siddheshwara replied in the negative.

Interestingly, the draft Road Transport and Safety Bill 2015 did advise a mandatory recall policy for vehicles. Additionally, it even suggested that manufacturers should be made liable to compensate for damage incurred as a consequence of a manufacturing defect in vehicles. Penalties for failure to notify about manufacturing defects was also a part of the draft.

Under the voluntary recall policy introduced in July, 2012 by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), more than 7 lakh vehicles have been recalled till now.

(With inputs from PTI)