KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 4 — Malaysian car manufacturer, Perodua, has come under fire from social media users for its nonchalant response to a customer's complaint.

Facebook user Nagakanni Subramaniam said her new Perodua Bezza broke down just eight hours after taking possession of the car.

“My car was taken to the Segamat service centre on October 18 and the mechanic informed me that the car engine had sustained damages.”

The 31-year-old said she received a call from Perodua's headquarters on November 9 informing her that initial investigations showed the damage was due to the presence of foreign objects such as sugar in the engine.

In her defence, Nagakanni claimed she did not place any food in the car nor did she open the engine bonnet after taking possession of the car.

She went on to share that she received another call from Perodua on November 15 where the representative asked Nagakanni to apply a new loan for a new car.

“I said I can make a new loan only if my old loan has been paid off as to date, I am still servicing the old loan,” she said.

On December 8, Perodua informed her that they have yet to agree with her suggestion to change to a new car.

“I still need to service the loan monthly. I hope Facebook friends will share this post to see an end to the issue,” she said, stressing that she was just fighting to protect her rights.

Perodua chief operating officer JH Rozman Jaafar meanwhile said they have offered Nagakanni a courtesy car and also proposed to buy back her car.

“Perodua has also assured the customer that her case is being prioritised and we hereby deny any allegation that no action has been taken to resolve the issue," he said, adding that a thorough investigation is underway regarding the issue.

Despite the reply, social media users were left dissatisfied.

Facebook user Dennis Kok said Perodua had single handedly destroyed their reputation following the incident.

JDTFC meanwhile said the issue was a simple one where the customer bought a new car, which should not be damaged.

“Come on Perodua, just replace the car with a new unit and meanwhile, you can still carry out an investigation on the damaged unit.”