Tata Motors steps up efforts on fake car parts

India's largest car manufacturer Tata Motors has carried out a series of raids on manufacturers and suppliers of counterfeit spare parts in a crackdown on illicit sales.

The company said it has already carried out 70 raids across the country since June 2013 to try to disrupt the activity and "protect its customers from the menace of counterfeit spares."

The counterfeiters are fraudulently selling spares under the Tata Genuine Parts (TGP) brand name and target high-consumption parts and those that are easiest to make, such as "clutch parts, air/oil/fuel filters, belts, hoses, ball joints, seals, suspension items like liners and brake pads, gear parts, synchro cone [and] gaskets," according to Tata Motors.

"Data shows that over 50 per cent of spares for all popular brands sold in the market are fake and unreliable," commented Rajesh Bagga, the company's vice president, legal, adding that an estimated 70 per cent of consumers opt for fake spares instead of visiting authorised service centres once the warranty period on the vehicle has expired.

"Customer awareness is the key to curb sale of counterfeit products," he added, indicating that Tata Motors is mounting a nationwide awareness campaign to educate the public about the safety risks posed by spurious/counterfeit spare parts.

The TGP team has also launched a range of tamper-evident plastic packaging for gear and differential parts as well the use of overt laser marking of components with the Tata logo and security stickers and labels with holograms.

The company said it has also started working more closely with mechanics, retailers and spare parts distributors to highlight the initiatives taken by the company to control the counterfeit parts trade.