Lawsuits against international automakers General Motors, Mercedes, Volkswagen and Toyota Motor were filed by the Public Consumer Initiative (CPI), Izvestia.
We are talking about claims against domestic legal entities – importers of products and spare parts for them. It is alleged that the suspension of the activities of these companies violates the rights of Russian consumers, people do not have access to repairs, maintenance, and so on, writes Izvestia, citing the head of the OPI, Oleg Pavlov.
The first procedures with the support of Rospotrebnadzor have already started.
Weaknesses of the claim
The main requirement is to stop the implementation of sanctions and resume delivery of all products. In the statement of claim, the public organization therefore states that Toyota Motor LLC has illegally stopped the supply of cars, spare parts and parts. And this means that all processes, especially the sale of these goods and maintenance, will be frozen, which “violates the rights and legitimate interests of an unspecified number of consumers,” the Rospotrebnadzor document says.
But Toyota Motor LLC said the company’s customers can request repairs, maintenance and other operations from official dealers. And the supply of spare parts to Russia has been limited due to serious supply chain violations caused by global disruptions and force majeure.
In addition, experts say claims have been made against the importer, while the obligation to ensure the supply of spare parts rests with the manufacturer. There may be a clause in the contract with the importer about the obligation to supply components to the dealer network, but the details of the contract are classified information. In addition, there is no evidence in the PIO’s claim that the car has not been repaired, and without the facts, the court may not want to consider it.
Another problem is that the official car dealer has no right to buy original spare parts outside the local representative of the car brand (for parallel import). If they are used for warranty repairs, the brand representative will refuse to reimburse the costs.