The country’s largest passenger car maker, Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL), will recall around one-lakh vehicles of its second-generation smart-hybrid vehicles, including the Ciaz, the Ertiga and the recently launched XL6 due to the lithium-ion battery fire hazard.

Various sources BusinessLine spoke to said that there have been at least two cases in the recent past, in which the lithium-ion battery, under the passenger seat in front, had caught fire.

“It is mainly due to the new lithium-ion battery fitted in the new smart hybrid technology cars over the last one year. There were a few cases of fire in the recent past,” a source privy to the matter told BusinessLine .

According to sources, there are more than three lakh mild and smart hybrid Maruti cars on the road today.

This is likely to be one of the biggest recalls by the company. Recently, the company announced a voluntary recall of 40,618 units of the WagonR (1 litre) manufactured between November 15, 2018 and August 12, 2019.

The recall campaigns were undertaken globally to rectify potential safety defects.

Calls and messages to a Maruti spokesperson remained unanswered.

The monthly sales of the XL6 and the Ertiga, have averaged around 4,200 units and 7,000 units, respectively.

However, sales of the Ciaz have been falling. In November, MSIL sold 1,148 units of the Ciaz, which was a decline of 62 per cent year-on-year (versus 3,838 units) and in October it sold 2,371 units of the mid-size sedan against 3,892 units in October 2018.

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