Study the complaints in ombud’s report
Consumers can learn from car complaints used as case studies in the latest annual report of the Motor Industry Ombudsman of South Africa (MIOSA).
Cancelling a transaction to buy a car
A car a consumer bought did not start due to a low voltage concern with the battery. He contacted the dealer but did not receive any feedback. When he took it to a third party specialist for assessment, it was discovered that the brake disks and brake pads did not comply with prescribed specifications.
The dealer replaced the brakes, but a week later smoke and fumes came from the car. The consumer returned it to the dealer, where a fuel leak was discovered and repaired.
After more concerns, the consumer took the car to an authorised workshop for an assessment and sent the dealer a quotation for the repairs, but the dealer only paid for some repairs.
The problems persisted and the consumer called in MIOSA’s help. He wanted the dealer to cancel the transaction and replace the car.
MIOSA recommended that the dealer collect the car and cancel the sales transaction in terms of section 56 (3) of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA). The dealer adhered to the recommendation and cancelled the transaction.
When it is your fault
A spanner warning light started flashing during December 2021. The consumer only took the vehicle to the dealer by mid-January 2022, where it was reset and all faults cleared. When he then took it for a test drive the warning light was gone, but it was still struggling to change gears.
He took it back to the dealer, where tests revealed that the gearbox solenoid valve was stuck and needed to be replaced, but this had to be done by a gearbox specialist. In late January, the car stopped and another dealership found that both the engine and gearbox needed to be replaced.
MIOSA said the consumer continued to use the car with the engine failure and had to pay for the damage himself.