Maruti has put out a ‘service campaign’ notice on its website, calling for 52,686 customers of the Swift and Baleno hatchbacks to bring their cars in for a check up. Maruti Swift and Maruti Baleno cars manufactured between 1 December 2017 and 16 March 2018 may have a faulty brake vacuum hose.
If you are a Maruti Swift or Baleno owner, you may want to check this link to see if your car is one of the affected ones. The company’s dealers will also be reaching out to customers from 14 May onwards informing them about this free-of-charge service action.
What is a ‘Service Campaign’?
Service campaigns also called recalls are proactive steps taken by car companies globally to rectify faults that could potentially cause problems for customers. These recalls range from minor fixes like faulty power window switches, hoses or wiper blades to more major ones such as clutches, power-steering systems and airbags, across manufacturers.
Symptoms of a Faulty Brake Vacuum Hose
Is there reason to panic because of a fault in the brake vacuum hose? Not really, as it won’t affect driving performance at normal driving speeds. But it could catch you off guard.
However, there are some telltale symptoms of a faulty vacuum hose. If you find your brake pedal getting hard to press suddenly, especially at crawling speeds or near idle, it could mean that the brake booster isn’t getting enough vacuum. There could be a leak in the hose, causing air to enter, and disrupting braking performance.
Braking action will still be there if you lose vacuum assist on your brakes, but you will need to press the pedal really hard to stop the car in time. Hence it is best to get the car checked immediately if your car experiences any of these symptoms.
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