Toyota has just announced a recall for the newly launched HyRyder mid-sized SUV. Given the fact that the HyRyder has a sibling from Maruti Suzuki in the form of the Grand Vitara, this prompted questions as to whether the Grand Vitara is also affected by the recall. It turns out that yes, the Grand Vitara is also a part of the recall, and Maruti Suzuki has separately issued a recall notice for this mid-size SUV. Four other Maruti Suzuki cars are affected by the recall – the XL6 crossover, the Ertiga MPV, the Brezza compact SUV and Ciaz sedan.
What’s the recall all about?
Maruti Suzuki notes that there could be a possible defect in one of the child parts of the shoulder height adjuster assembly of the front seatbelts, which could potentially cause seat belt disassembly. The recall that spans over 9,000 Maruti Suzuki cars including the Grand Vitara, XL6 and Ertiga aims to check and replace this part at no cost to the customer. Since the seatbelt is a critically important safety part, it’s important for Maruti Grand Vitara, XL6 and Ertiga to immediately get in touch with their dealers, and get the fix. The same part has been affected on the Toyota HyRyder as well, and the Japanese automaker has recalled 994 units.
Toyota manufacturers the HyRyder and Grand Vitara
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Toyota builds the HyRyder and Grand Vitara at its Bidadi factory near Bengaluru, and ships out the Grand Vitara to Maruti Suzuki, which distributes the SUV to NEXA dealerships across the country. The HyRyder and Grand Vitara are badge engineered cars – they share nearly all internal parts and are different only in terms of styling and exterior design. This is the reason why the recall affects the same part across two different car brands.
The Maruti Grand Vitara and Toyota HyRyder are offered with two engine options each: a mild hybrid and a strong hybrid. The strong hybrid comprises of a 1.5-litre 4-cylinder TNGA petrol engine making 91 Bhp and 122 Nm of torque that runs on the Atkinson cycle, and an electric motor that makes 78 Bhp-141 Nm. Combined output is rated at 114 Bhp. All strong hybrid variants of the Grand Vitara will use a CVT automatic gearbox as standard, and also get a dedicated all-electric mode, in which the vehicle can be driven for up to 25 Kms purely on battery power.
The other engine on offer is a 1.5 litre 4 cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine which produces a maximum of 100 Bhp and 135 Nm of torque. This motor is paired with an SHVS (Suzuki Hybrid Vehicle System) mild hybrid system. The mild hybrid powertrain is offered with two gearbox options: a 5-speed manual and a 6-speed torque converter automatic. An all-wheel drive option is offered with the manual gearbox equipped mild hybrid powertrain. This makes the HyRyder and Grand Vitara the most capable off-roaders in the mid-size SUV segment.
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