Proton Has Made Its First Public Recall Of 100,000 Units For Three Car Models
The national carmaker is making the recall to fix the issue relating to the engine’s oil cooler hose.
By Tang Ruxyn — 17 Feb 2016, 12:39 PM — Updated over 8 years ago
Malaysian automobile manufacturer Proton Holdings Sdn Bhd has started to recall almost 100,000 units of its Exora, Preve and Suprima models to fix the issue relating to the engine’s oil cooler hose since yesterday, 16 February
The models affected include CFE-powered variants of the Proton Exora (59,663 units), Preve (28,642 units) and the Suprima S (6,290 units). Proton has admitted that a mistake was made when selecting the right material for the oil cooler hose.
For owners of affected vehicles still covered by their warranty, Proton says that the fix will come at no cost to them. For owners of affected vehicles that are no longer covered by the warranty, Proton says that it will only perform the fix for free should your recommended service intervals be adhered to.
Its Chief Executive Officer, Datuk Abdul Harith Abdullah, said these models had faced problems of the oil cooler hoses, which would break down when the cars reached an average mileage of 40,000 kilometres (km), due to the degration of internal hose/tube material.
"We will call the owners and the priority will be given to the cars with mileage of 40,000 km and above. We hope to finish this in the next six months," he said.
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Proton CEO Datuk Abdul Harith Abdullah said that the company is improving its customer service by announcing future product recalls openly and actively engage customers through various modes of communication
Abdul Harith explained, “previously, we’ve done our service fix initiatives quietly. We would wait for customers to come for a service appointment, and then carry out the fixes. But if the customers do not come in (to authorised Proton service centres), then the problems will come.”
“Now, we will actively call and reach out to the customers through email, SMS, Whatsapp. That will all be done. It’s all about honesty here,” he said.
Car recalls are rather common in the automotive industry so it shouldn't be a surprise that Proton is recalling more than 100,000 cars this time. Car recalls protect customers from potential dangers and customers are usually entitled to get a free repair.
General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Nissan and Toyota are among the manufacturers that have issued massive recalls in the few years for issues including defective air bags, fuel leaks, ignition switches and power windows that can catch fire.
“It’s [manufacturers’] legal obligation to tell you the car has some kind of safety issue and to give you some kind of information on how to protect yourself in the interim,” Mark Whinton, a mechanic and retired automotive instructor said.
Meanwhile, netizens are praising Proton for its bold move to recall its cars in the market and took it is a sign of improvement
However, Abdul Harith admitted that Proton has struggled to make an impact in the market due to negative public perception. They’re now working towards building a more positive image.
Proton has launched a rebranding campaign by introducing its new tagline - “It’s in the Drive!” - to encourage people to drive its new cars to get a hands-on experience for themselves, rather than relying on long-held prejudices.
It has also introduced a fresh new look for its logo which is identical to the previous one but the tiger emblem is enlarged while the word "PROTON" has been removed.
Abdul Harith said Proton wanted to “right the mistakes” it had made in the past and remove the negative perception that the public had on the national car company.
“It’s not easy to admit our mistakes. But there is a strong need to rebrand and reposition ourselves.”