Royal Enfield to recall 236,966 motorcycles due to defective ignition coil

Recall includes Classic, Bullet and Meteor models; defect can cause misfiring and reduce vehicle performance and in rare cases, can also cause electric short circuit

Royal Enfield, the motorcycling making arm of Eicher Motors will be recalling 236,966 bikes owing to a defective ignition coil that can cause misfiring and reduce vehicle performance and in rare cases, cause an electric short circuit, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.  This is the biggest recall announced by the company since automakers started reporting recalls voluntarily in 2012.

The recall includes Classic, Bullet and Meteor models. Of these, the company will call in Meteor motorcycles manufactured and sold between December 2020 and April 2021, and the Classic and Bullet manufactured and sold between January and April 2021. These motorcycles will undergo inspection and replacement of the said defective part, if required. “We estimate that less than 10 per cent of these motorcycles will require replacement of the part,” the company said.

While the issue is rare and does not impact all motorcycles manufactured during the above mentioned period, in keeping with safety regulations and as a precautionary measure, Royal Enfield has decided to undertake “a proactive, company-initiated recall of select motorcycles models produced in the above mentioned time period,” it said.

The defect was discovered during routine internal testing and the issue has been clearly identified and isolated to specific batches of material sourced from our external supplier between December 2020 and April 2021.

Royal Enfield service teams, and/or local dealerships will reach out to consumers whose motorcycle Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) number falls within the manufacturing period mentioned above.

“We would like to reiterate that we have very stringent sourcing protocols and that all our motorcycles are rigorously tested to global validation standards of quality and durability. The safety of our riders is of prime importance to us at Royal Enfield and we are deeply committed to the duty of care to all our customers. We are committed to swiftly implement the recall action, and customers will be proactively contacted through respective local dealerships,” the company said.