Forum tells Nissan to pay Rupees 50 thousand

Chennai: The district consumer disputes redressal forum, Chennai (south), has directed renowned Japanese car manufacturing giant and its authorised service agent in the city to pay a compensation of Rs 50,000 to a woman for a defective alloy wheel in a car sold by the company.

In the petition, M. Monika Darshini of Kilpauk stated that she purchased a Nissan Sunny XVD model car in August 2012 at Jain Jubilant Cars, Egmore. Her husband, Giri Prasad, an advocate, had noticed that the left tyre in the front often turned flat. He approached Jain Jubilant Cars, Girugambakkam, an authorised service centre of Nissan Motors. The staff informed him that a dent in the alloy wheel was causing the air leak. Without solving the problem, the car had been delivered.

On a complaint to the customer relationship manager, the service centre agreed to rectify the defect and took the car again to its service centre at Girugambakkam.

Later, the service centre demanded Rs 8,986 from her husband stating that the dent was caused by collision and, hence, it would not be covered under the warranty. Prasad had paid the amount and taken the car.

Monika Darshini filed the present petition seeking a direction to the respondents to pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for causing mental agony and reimbursement of Rs 8,986 paid for repairing the defect.

In its reply, the respondents denied the averments and stated that the dent was caused in an accident caused by the petitioner. There was no damage to the tyre or any other parts.

The bench, comprising president P. Jayapalan, members L. Deenadayalan and K. Amala, held that the dent was caused while manufacturing the wheel.

However, considering that compensation of Rs 5 lakh was too high, the forum directed Nissan Motors and Jain Jubilant Cars jointly to pay Rs 50,000 as compensation and to return Rs 8,986 along with 10 per cent interest calculated from December 2012.