Maruti Suzuki Baleno RS has been recalled in India due to the faulty vacuum pump which assists the braking function
Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) has officially announced a call back for the Baleno RS in the domestic market. The premium hatchback produced between October 27, 2016 and November 1, 2019 is part of the voluntary recall as a total of 7,213 units are affected across the country. The company has found a potential defect in the vacuum pump which assists the brake function.
The affected vehicle may need increased effort while applying brakes and thus the recall has been issued. The part replacement is done free of cost at Maruti Suzuki’s authorised dealerships. This has been the second recall by Maruti Suzuki this year as 17,362 units of Alto K10, S-Presso, Eeco, Brezza, Baleno and Grand Vitara were recalled in January 2023.
They were manufactured between December 8, 2022 and January 12, 2023. The affected models were inspected and if required, the Airbag Controller was replaced free of cost as Maruti Suzuki suspected that there was a possibility of non-deployment of the airbags and seat belt pretensioners in the event of an accident.
Back to the Maruti Suzuki Baleno RS, it was first launched in 2017 with a host of updates over the regular variant. Powered by a 1.0L three-cylinder turbo petrol engine, the Baleno RS kicks out 100 PS maximum power and 150 Nm of peak torque and is paired with a five-speed manual transmission only. It gets disc brakes on all four wheels and a stiffer suspension.
In December 2022, Maruti Suzuki issued a recall for Grand Vitara as 11,177 units were affected due to the possible defect in the rear seat-belt mounting brackets. The Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder was also affected. The BoosterJet turbo petrol engine from the Baleno RS has made a comeback and is currently available in the Fronx compact SUV coupe.
The presence of the same powertrain could be expanded to other models in the portfolio including the Baleno to compete against the turbo variants of the Tata Altroz and Hyundai i20. It may as well find its way to the next generation Swift, which will be introduced in 2024.