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New Delhi: A planned motorcycle trip to Leh turned into an ordeal for a Royal Enfield owner after his Interceptor 650 repeatedly stalled at high altitude, leading a consumer commission in South Delhi to order vehicle manufacturer Eicher Motors and Noida-based authorised dealer Shri Mahadev Motors to jointly pay Rs 1 lakh in compensation. Before departing for Leh in September 2021, the owner had asked the service centre to update the motorcycle’s Electronic Control Unit (ECU) to prevent power loss at high elevations. Although the service centre assured him that the update had been completed, it later emerged that the work had never been carried out.
The South Delhi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission passed the order on November 4, 2026, directing both companies to make the payment within three months of the order date. Failure to pay within the stipulated timeframe will attract annual interest of six percent from November 4, 2026, until actual realization. The complainant, Hasan Murtaza, had originally sought Rs 1 crore in compensation for mental agony and physical inconvenience.
Pre-Trip ECU Update Requested at Service Centre
Hasan Murtaza purchased the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 on April 13, 2019. Ahead of his scheduled trip to Leh in September 2021, he submitted the motorcycle for servicing at Shri Mahadev Motors in Noida in June 2021, informing the staff about his travel plans and the issue of power loss in high-altitude regions.
Murtaza specifically requested an ECU update to improve the motorcycle’s performance at elevation. According to his complaint, the service centre assured him that the update had been performed and the bike was ready for the journey. Relying on that assurance, he set out for Leh, only for the motorcycle to suffer sudden power loss and stall at an altitude of roughly 15,912 feet. He stated that he had to drag the nearly 200-kilogram motorcycle down a slope to restart it, with the issue persisting until he reached Leh on September 21, 2021.
Unfinished Work Exposed at Leh Service Centre
The following day, Murtaza visited Royal Enfield’s authorised service centre in Leh, where technicians informed him that the ECU update had not been installed on his motorcycle. The Leh centre also told him that it lacked the necessary equipment to carry out the update.
Following this discovery, Murtaza left the motorcycle at a hotel in Leh and returned home, later travelling back to retrieve the bike. While riding back to Noida, he continued to experience power loss. After complaints to the manufacturer’s customer support department and a legal notice sent in January 2022 failed to yield a resolution, he approached the consumer commission.
Commission Relies on Email and Medical Records
During the proceedings, the commission examined the purchase invoice, an article discussing high-altitude ECU issues, and email correspondence between Murtaza and the concerned parties. While the opposing parties questioned the absence of job cards from the Noida and Leh service centres and Eicher Motors argued that manufacturers and authorised dealers operate as independent entities, Shri Mahadev Motors failed to appear or file a written reply despite receiving notices.
The commission observed that the email exchanges clearly established when and where the complainant visited the authorised service centres, and found no contradictions in his travel records. It also noted the absence of any record proving that the requested repair work was ever executed, alongside medical records showing Murtaza suffered from shortness of breath and wheezing during physical exertion. While original selling dealer Ess Aar Motors was also named in the case, liability for the Rs 1 lakh compensation was fixed jointly on Eicher Motors and Shri Mahadev Motors, reinforcing accountability for after-sales service deficiencies.
