Consumer court to Jaguar: Pay 42 lakh to customer whose Jaguar XF engine seized 2 times

We have come across several instances where customers were actually given defective or used cars by dealers. In most of these cases, the customers have approached the consumer court to get a solution. Once again, an incident from Chennai has been reported where the consumer court has asked luxury car manufacturer Jaguar to pay Rs. 42 lakh to a customer who was sold a Jaguar XF sedan with a defective engine. The defective engine in the car actually seized not once, but twice.

The car in question here is a Jaguar XF purchased by Mr. S Ramesh, Managing Director of Pothys, a well-known textile showroom. Ramesh had bought the 3.0-liter diesel variant of the Jaguar XF in 2016 for Rs. 61 lakh in January 2016. After buying the car, Ramesh used it regularly. In March 2018, when Ramesh was on a personal trip, the car broke down. With only around 22,400 km driven, the car was still under warranty. The engine seized, leaving Ramesh stranded in the middle of the road. The car had to be towed to a showroom in Bengaluru.

As the car was still under warranty, the service center replaced the engine for free. After the replacement, Ramesh used the car for a year. However, the engine seized again, but this time, VST & Sons refused to replace it, claiming the warranty didn’t cover it. The car remained parked at the service center for over a year, and the officials did not return the car.

Unhappy with this situation, the owner took the matter to court, filing a case against the brand at the Chennai (South) District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission for selling an ‘inherently defective’ and ‘faulty’ car. In response to the allegations, VST & Sons claimed that the car faced excessive use and was used for commercial activities, leading to improper maintenance causing unusual wear and tear of the engine, resulting in the issue. They also mentioned the delay in returning the car was due to the Covid-19 lockdown.

Jaguar Land Rover India stated that the owner did not produce sufficient evidence to claim that he was given a car with manufacturing defects. They offered the customer a 50 percent discount on the engine replacement, amounting to around Rs. 42.2 lakh. The brand added that the customer’s demand for a new car was an attempt to benefit himself.

Upon analysis, the commission found the brand at fault. The commission ordered the brand to either replace the engine of the Jaguar XF or pay for the engine replacement. Additionally, the court asked them to pay Rs. 55,000 for damages. Few months ago, a customer who bought a Jeep luxury SUV was offered a refund of Rs 61 lakh by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Chandigarh. The customer, Inderjit Kaur, had bought a Jeep SUV, and soon after the purchase, the four-wheeler started experiencing issues. In Kerala, a woman had filed a case against Ford after her Fiesta sedan was not returning the fuel efficiency that the car manufacturer had advertised in the advertisements. The consumer court granted the customer 3 lakh as compensation.