The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) was hearing revision petitions filed by Ford India and its dealer against the 2017 rulings of the district and state commissions, which had awarded Rs 10.42 lakh — the cost of the Ford EcoSport.In its detailed analysis, the national consumer commission emphasised that airbags are a critical component of a vehicle’s safety system.Consumer news: Bringing closure to a prolonged nine-year legal battle over a Rs 10.42 lakh Ford EcoSport, the NCDRC upheld orders directing Ford India Private Limited and its dealer to refund the full cost of the vehicle, ruling that the failure of airbags during a serious accident amounted to a clear manufacturing defect.A bench comprising Presiding Member Dr Inder Jit Singh and Member Justice Dr Sudhir Kumar Jain was hearing the revision petitions filed by the manufacturer and dealer, and affirmed the concurrent findings of the District Consumer Forum, Amritsar (March 14, 2017), and the Punjab State Consumer Commission (July 13, 2017).“…the vehicle was suffering from a material defect…There is no force in the argument that the vehicle was not suffering from a manufacturing defect. The reliance of the counsel for the manufacturer on Owner Manual to the effect that the airbags on the driver side deploys only during significant frontal collisions and collisions that are up to 30 degrees from the left or right is without any support of convincing material,” the national consumer commission said on April 2.The commission further held that the case involved no jurisdictional error or material irregularity warranting interference, reiterating the limited scope of its revisional powers under Section 21(b) of the Consumer Protection Act.
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