NEW DELHI: Voluntary recall of vehicles by manufacturers saw a nearly four-fold increase in 2021-22 compared to 2020-21, according to data provided by the road transport ministry to Parliament. The spike was recorded after the stringent norm kicked in from April 1, 2021.
The rule provides for high fines up to Rs 1 crore in case the government has to order mandatory recall. But if the manufacturers or importers recall faulty vehicles on their own, they don’t face any penalty from the government.

In a written response in the Lok Sabha, Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari said that 13.3 lakh two-wheelers and cars were recalled over safety issues during 2021-22, while during 2020-21 such recalls stood at 3.4 lakh. Gadkari quoted the data maintained by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) for recall of vehicles.
The data show that was exceptional increase in the voluntary recall of two-wheelers during 2021-22, according to available data. While barely 1,286 such vehicles were recalled by the manufacturers in 2020-21, this increased to 8.64 lakh in 2021-22.
Gadkari said that a total of 20.7 lakh vehicles were recalled by the vehicle manufacturers from April 2019 to July 15, 2022.