Australian court says Mazda misled on refunds for faulty vehicles

An Australian federal court says the local unit of Mazda Motor misled customers over their rights, the country’s competition regulator said on Tuesday.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission conducted court proceedings against Mazda in October 2019 in a case that concerned seven different vehicles and 10 customers of Mazda.

It said the court found that the automaker made 49 separate false or misleading representations to nine clients, who sought refund or replacement after facing severe and recurring faults with their vehicles within a year or two of purchase.

The automaker either ignored or turned down the claims of the customers and informed them that the only available remedy was another repair, the ACCC said.

“Mazda’s conduct towards these consumers was not just appalling consumer service as noted by the judge, it was a serious violation of the law,” ACCC Chair Rod Sims said in a statement.

Mazda Australia said it was carefully thinking about the federal court finding. but declined to comment further.

The court, however, rejected the regulator’s allegations that Mazda engaged in “unconscionable conduct” in its dealings with these clients. It will decide on penalties and other orders sought by the ACCC in future.