Car owner of defective Toyota Corolla gets Rs 2.20L compensation
Though the vehicle was sent for service many times, the defect was not rectified.
Chennai: The national consumer disputes forum, New Delhi, has upheld the order of the Tamil Nadu state consumer disputes redressal commission, Chennai, which confirmed the 2008 order of the district consumer disputes redressal forum, Chennai (north), awarding compensation of Rs 2.20 lakh to the owner of a Toyota Corolla car for deficiency in service and for supplying a defective vehicle.
The national bench, comprising presiding member Justice V.B. Gupta and member Vinay Kumar dismissed the revision petition of Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) Ltd, Ramnagar, and manager, Lanson Toyota, Koyambedu, and ordered them to pay costs of Rs 10,000 for causing undue harassment and mental agony to Jayesh T. Tanna of T. Nagar.
The TKM is a joint venture between Toyota and the Kirloskar group. The TKM manufactures a line of Toyota vehicles. Jayesh T. Tanna filed a petition in the district forum stating that he had purchased a Toyota Corolla car from Lanson Toyota on August 21, 2003.
Within a week, he found that the yellow indicator light was malfunctioning. The vehicle was sent to Lanson for repair, but the defect was not rectified. After rectifying the defect, Tanna noticed a glow of MIL and the engine seized. The car was sent to the service station of Lanson.
In 2005, the manager of the service station informed Tanna that the engine seized due to overheating. But the owner held that there was an inherent manufacturing defect from the beginning and demanded compensation from the manufacturer and dealer. TKM replied that the vehicle had suffered damage as a result of negligent handling by the owner.
On October 29, 2008, the district forum directed TKM and Lanson manager to pay a compensation of Rs 2.20 lakh to Tanna. Their appeal was dismissed in the state commission.