NEW DELHI: The Bengal Story Bureau: A consumer court in Delhi has directed MG Motor India to refund Rs 18.23 lakh and pay an additional Rs 4 lakh in compensation to a car owner after a steering defect led to an accident. The commission rejected the automaker’s defence that the driver was at fault, ruling that the company sold a vehicle with a manufacturing defect and failed to honour its warranty obligations.
The Accident and Initial Defects
The case was filed by Narela resident Mr Jindal, who purchased an MG ZS Astor CVT automatic in October 2022. According to the complaint, the vehicle developed technical issues within a few months of purchase, including malfunctioning Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) sensors and an Electronic Steering Column Lock (ESCL) failure. Despite the car being under warranty, the owner alleged he was charged Rs 3,000 for replacing the faulty TPMS units.
The situation escalated during a family trip to Gangotri Dham in Uttarakhand in June 2023. The vehicle displayed an ESCL error while in motion. Following instructions from MG customer support, the owner attempted to drive the car to a service centre in Dehradun. During this journey, the steering allegedly jammed, causing an accident. The complainant stated that a technician took over 10 hours to reach the site.
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What the Commission Said
The North Delhi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, comprising President Divya Jyoti Jaipuriar and Member Ashwani Kumar Mehta, heard the case. MG Motor India argued against the existence of a manufacturing defect, suggesting the issues could be related to the owner’s driving behaviour.
The commission dismissed this defence. It noted that emails from the company’s Dehradun workshop only sought approval to initiate an insurance claim and did not indicate any detailed technical inspection into the root cause. The bench observed that mechanical and electronic failures like TPMS and ESCL defects cannot be attributed to the driving style of the driver without credible expert evidence.
The Final Order
Holding the automaker responsible for deficiency in service, the court ordered MG Motor India to refund the full purchase price of Rs 18,23,228. The amount will carry a 7 per cent annual interest calculated from the date the complaint was filed in July 2023.
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The company must also pay Rs 4 lakh to cover compensation and litigation costs within four weeks. Failing to meet this deadline will increase the interest rate on the total amount to 9 per cent.
Since the vehicle has been lying unrepaired at the Dehradun workshop for three years, the court noted that returning the repaired car was no longer practical. MG Motor is allowed to keep and dispose of the vehicle as it sees fit, while the owner has been directed to provide the necessary no-objection certificates to transfer or cancel the registration. The dealer, Gitansh Motors, was cleared of any liability as the court found it had no role in manufacturing the defective car.
