Water may enter the rear wheel bearing area and cause problems so an inspection has to be made as a precaution

Proton has announced a recall of the Savvy cars address a possible problem in the rear wheel bearing. The recall has been prompted by a recent inspection which showed that there was a possibility of water entry into the rear wheel-bearing, and this could lead to a malfunction of the affected components. The inspection was said to be in line with Proton's continuing commitment to quality, which includes making regular and random checks on all Proton models.

Proton's Managing Director Dato' Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir Said: "The safety and satisfaction of our customers is a primary concern. As a precautionary measure, we are recalling all Savvy's for inspection and repair. We do apologise to all the Savvy owners for any inconvenience".

The recall will affect a total of 34,000 units of the Savvy and the necessary checks and replacements will be carried out at no cost to the customer. All Savvy owners are advised to take their cars to the nearest Proton Edar or EON service branches for an inspection. Owners are urged to immediately contact  the nearest Proton Edar or EON service branch for an appointment to have their cars inspected. As an alternative, they can also call Proton i-Care at 1-300-880-888 for assistance in making an appointment with a service centre or getting further information on the matter.

In order to complete inspection of all Savvys pertaining to the recall, Proton has arranged for four of its service outlets to open from 8 am - 6 pm Saturdays and Sundays specially for the purpose. The four Proton Edar centres are at the Centre of Service Excellence in Subang Jaya; Plentong in JB; Juru in Seberang Prai and in Kuantan. A prior appointment is not necessary but some waiting time may be incurred if there are many other owners at the same time.

Once again, the current management of Proton has shown itself to be willing to acknowledge that its products may not be 100% free of defects all the time and when necessary, a recall will be made. This is a contrast from the previous management which was averse to the idea of making recalls, sometimes even declaring that well known defects were not true and that 'what you read on the internet is rubbish' (as stated by the former CEO to this writer).

Recalls should not be something a responsible manufacturer avoids because the safety and convenience of customers is threatened. If a manufacturer wants to be genuine about caring for its customers, the first thing to do is to remove a possible danger for them by recalling their car to inspect and, if necessary, fix a problem. Most customers will appreciate this (provided it does not happen very often) and not lose respect for the manufacturer.