Maruti Suzuki to Challenge Consumer Court Order on Grand Vitara Replacement

New Delhi, July 16: Maruti Suzuki India on Thursday said it will challenge the order of the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Raipur, which directed the company to replace a customer’s Grand Vitara Hybrid with a new E20-compatible model. The automaker maintained that the vehicle in question was already fully compatible with E20 fuel and disputed the findings of the consumer forum.

The case relates to a Grand Vitara Hybrid purchased by a customer from Chhattisgarh, who alleged that the vehicle developed technical issues after running on E20 petrol. Acting on the complaint, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission ordered Maruti Suzuki to replace the vehicle within 45 days with a new E20-compatible model.

The Commission further ruled that if the company failed to replace the vehicle within the stipulated period, it would have to refund the customer Rs 20.5 lakh, including the cost of registration and insurance.

Responding to the order, Maruti Suzuki asserted that the Grand Vitara involved in the dispute was already certified as E20-compatible and was fully capable of operating on fuel containing up to 20 per cent ethanol. The company clarified that the vehicle, although manufactured in January 2023, was sold to the customer in June 2024, and its compatibility with E20 fuel had been clearly specified in the owner’s manual.

The company also questioned the basis of the Commission’s findings, stating that fuel samples collected from the customer’s vehicle indicated contamination, which could have contributed to the reported problems.

“We have learnt of an order by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Raipur, wherein Maruti Suzuki has been directed to replace the customer’s vehicle with a new E20-compatible vehicle,” the company said in a statement.

“The car in this case was an E20-compatible car, fully equipped to handle E20 fuel and so disclosed in the owner’s manual. There is evidence of contamination in the fuel collected from the customer’s vehicle. Several other relevant facts have also not been reflected in the order,” the statement added.

Maruti Suzuki said it believes the Commission’s order does not fully consider all the material facts presented during the proceedings and has therefore decided to pursue legal remedies.

“Maruti Suzuki will take necessary steps to challenge the impugned order before the appropriate higher forum in accordance with law,” the company stated.

The case has drawn attention at a time when India is accelerating the adoption of ethanol-blended fuels as part of its strategy to reduce dependence on fossil fuel imports and promote cleaner mobility. Automakers have increasingly introduced E20-compatible vehicles, which are designed to safely operate on petrol blended with up to 20 per cent ethanol.

Industry experts have pointed out that while such vehicles are engineered to handle E20 fuel, their performance also depends on the quality of fuel supplied. Any contamination or deviation from prescribed fuel standards can potentially affect vehicle performance irrespective of compatibility.

The outcome of Maruti Suzuki’s appeal is expected to be closely watched by both consumers and the automobile industry, as it could have wider implications for disputes related to E20 fuel compatibility and vehicle performance in the future.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)