'Appalling customer service': Mazda faces max heat for this reason

Mazda is under the glare in Australia after a federal court in the country made scathing observation against the Japanese car brand on charges that it had misled many of its customers over their rights.

According to a Reuters report, Australia's competition regulator informed that a federal court found Mazda made 49 separate false or misleading representations to nine customers. These customers had either sought a refund or replacement of their vehicles after reportedly facing serious and/or recurring faults within a short span after purchase.

It has been highlighted further that Mazda chose to either ignore or reject the claims while informing customers that a subsequent repair was the only solution. "Mazda's conduct towards these consumers was not just appalling customer service as noted by the judge, it was a serious breach of the law," ACCC Chair Rod Sims said in a statement.

While the penalty on Mazda hasn't yet been decided, the observation is likely to hurt the image of the Japanese car brand here and possibly elsewhere too.

Mazda offers several popular models in Australia like the Mazda 2, 3, 6, CX-3, CX-30, among others.

Globally, auto brands are increasingly facing the heat to swiftly check on any possible faults, especially those that may relate to safety concerns. While most brands tend to be rather reluctant to issue recall orders because these may adversely impact image, failure to do so may invite severe penalties.