Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone, the brand ambassadors of Hyundai Motor India, have landed in legal trouble along with four others associated with the brand. According to reports, Kirti Singh, a lawyer from Rajasthan's Bharatpur, has filed an FIR against the Bollywood stars and associated people over her Hyundai car's manufacturing defect.
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In 2022, Kirti Singh bought a Hyundai Alcazar for Rs 23.97 lakh. She claims the car had a serious defect; pressing the accelerator raised the RPM, but the speed didn't increase. When she reported the issue, the dealer admitted it was a manufacturing problem and, oddly, advised her to park the car for an hour and run it at 2000 RPM to clear the engine warning. Kirti says this fault put her family's safety at risk multiple times. After Hyundai and the dealer refused to fix or replace the car, she filed a fraud case against Hyundai officials, the dealership, and brand ambassadors Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone, accusing them of promoting a faulty product.
The matter was brought to the CJM Court No. 2 in Bharatpur as a private complaint. The court directed Mathura Gate Police Station to register an FIR. Following the court orders, police have filed a case under Section 420 (cheating) and other relevant sections.
Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika landed in legal trouble under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, which allows authorities to penalise endorsers for false or misleading ads. Additionally, last year, the Supreme Court ruled that celebrities and influencers are also responsible for the ads they support.
Shah Rukh Khan has been associated with Hyundai India since 1998, the year Hyundai introduced its hatchback, the Santro, to the Indian market. Meanwhile, Deepika Padukone joined the brand in December 2023.