Court To Dealer, Automaker: Pay 19.6 Lakh To Owner For 'ADAS Issue'
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Chandigarh has directed JSW MG Motor India and its dealer to pay a Windsor owner Rs 19.56 lakh. This includes a full refund of the vehicle price, cost of accessories, compensation, and litigation expenses. The complainant in this case, took to court, after his vehicle had repeated break downs within days of purchase and was even damaged further while in the dealer’s custody. Malfunctions from the EV’s Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) were alleged as the cause of these incidents.
The complainant in this case is Pukhraj Singh Bal, who bought the Windsor EV Essence Pro on July 23, 2025. He paid a total of Rs 19.07 lakh for the vehicle. The dealership involved was Chandigarh’s Krishna Automobiles Garage.
According to the complaint, the owner reported a serious issue within four days of purchase. While travelling with his family, the vehicle stopped suddenly and was subsequently hit from behind by a Mahindra Scorpio. It also states that the same issue occurred again later that day. Alarmed, Bal abandoned his journey mid-way, and got the car towed to one of MG’s authorised workshops.
The complainant further alleged that despite repeated follow-ups, clarity on repairs was delayed until August 14. When he visited the workshop later, he found out that the vehicle had sustained fresh damage. This, Bal says, happened while under the dealer’s custody. He brought these to the dealer’s notice and demanded either a full refund or a replacement, along with compensation. Soon, a complaint was filed at the consumer commission, against MG and the dealership involved.
Krishna Automobiles denied any manufacturing defect with the vehicle. It argued that the ADAS system had functioned correctly by automatically applying brakes after detecting a vehicle in front of it (automatic emergency braking). This led to the EV getting rear-ended by the Scorpio. The dealer also claimed that the detailed examination carried out on the car did not revealed no mechanical or technical faults.
It, however, admitted that the Windsor was accidentally damaged by a third party while at the workshop. This, the dealer maintained, happened before delivery and was disclosed to the buyer then. Repairs were offered at the dealer’s expense.
JSW MG Motor India also denied liability, maintaining that the repairs were necessitated due to accidental damage rather than any manufacturing defect. It also highlighted that the EV had run around 485 km within four days, and argued no expert evidence had been produced to establish a defect.
The commission, led by President Amrinder Singh Sidhu and Member B M Sharman rejected the arguments presented by MG and its dealer. It noted that the burden of proving that the sudden stoppage was solely due to the normal functioning of ADAS rested with the company and its dealer. Neither of them, however, submitted any technical evidence to back these claims.
The commission also dismissed the dealer’s inspection report, saying that it had been prepared unilaterally without informing the buyer. The ruling took the dealer’s admission that the vehicle was damaged by a third party while in its custody, as a serious evidence of negligence and deficiency in service. It further noted that a buyer spending over Rs 19 lakh on a new vehicle is entitled to expect reliability and uninterrupted performance from the outset.
The court also stated that repeated malfunctions from the ADAS suite is a serious threat to the safety of the consumer and his family. It further ruled that a customer cannot be forced to use a vehicle that becomes non-operational within days of purchase.
Based on its findings, the commission directed the dealer and MG to issue a complete refund of the vehicle price (Rs 18.49 lakh), accessories cost (Rs 57,690), compensation towards mental harassment and litigation expenses (Rs 50,000).
ADAS features like automatic emergency braking (AEB) can be quite risky in India. Unwarranted sudden braking caused by AEB can cause crashes on Indian roads, especially during rains. Most drivers/riders here aren’t used to how the system works, and do not often keep safe braking distances from nearby vehicles. Tailgating is also a common practice here, and the same increases the risks. A faulty AEB can be a significantly more serious threat. It can raise false alarms and make the car stop mid-journey, leading to crashes and serious damages to the vehicles involved.