[don_carmaster]

Hi folks,

Below is an excerpt from my friends version of what happened with his XUV5OO. He is an extremely trustworthy driver, and maintains his vehicles like any BHPian would do. His car has never touched any roadside mechanic

They have never kept a driver for their personal use, to keep cars in top shape.

Read here -

One fine sunny day when everything around me was normal, I headed for my GMAT class. Fired up the engine of the XUV, everything seemed normal. I reached my designated parking spot below my classroom.

Turned back the key, removed my seatbelt, Pulled the handbrake, came out of the car, Locked the doors through central locking, checked for surrounding and left for my class.

Nearly 15 mins after I reached, the security guard present at the institute came running to class, announcing whoever has an xuv, please check because one of them is burning. To my utter fright, I ran down all the stairs and reached the Spot and saw the following -

Front Bonnet was completely doused in flames, The right side was mostly intact, everything behind the A-pillar seemed intact. I did not dare take out my stuff from the car. Took a side and immediately called my elder brother, while everyone else arranged for extinguishers. After more than 15 mins of fire fighting and several cans of Extinguishers - The flames went down.

When the flames doused, we could see that all the plastic parts had vaporized and metal parts had burnt badly/charred. This whole incident has shocked me and my family deep under, as it possessed potential risk of death to the driver of the car and its occupants. If we didn't reach on the spot on time it could have also resulted into a blast, due to the diesel tank inside the vehicle.

In acutuality, the car had put our lives over complete risk. If my parents were driving and the car caught fire then? My faith on the brand is shaken, My faith on this car has shaken.

The vehicle on 24th May, 2015 was submitted to Bodyshop of M/s Koncept Mahindra Pvt Ltd at their Noida sector -62 branch ,on whose request M&M's top engineers were summoned who are supposed experts on the XUV. Since then the car has been standing there and there has been no justifiable action on the car. Its still in the same condition.

DO I EXPECT THIS OUT OF a 15 LAC SUV WITHIN TWO YEARS? NO

And i certainly expected the top brass to respond to this incident, But they cant care less for their premium Offering. I am deeply dissatisfied, and looking for a resolution which alleviates us from this shocking incident but they are yet to comply with.

IS THIS WHAT IS CALLED AS A GLOBAL SUV ? NO

I myself voice his concerns, I can vouch for each of the point mentioned here, we have tried out best to connect with people out there. Can anyine suggest any other better option


We have mailed to mahindra.anand@mahindra.com,
Tweeted on their page for attention on this matter.

Need help from BHPians

Also attaching some pictures, for visual reference.

[Tanveer_2558]

Thats horrific to see, Specially when i myself have owned an xuv for 3.5 years and have recently got the new age xuv as well, Can you also share some details about the car? how many kms run? Last servicing etc? Also any history with rats attack to the car?
I really hope Mahindra gets a really fair arrangement with your friend, Please do keep us posted.

[iron.head]

Earlier there have been report/reports of Mahindra Thar catching fire and now this XUV! The right side(towards the battery) has taken more damage from the fire than the left. Is it the electricals or the battery that's causing this to Mahindra vehicles?

In of the threads where a Mahindra Thar had caught fire Behram Sir had indicated that the fire was linked to where the battery was located.

[karthick_b]

What is wrong with Mahindra these days? They seem to be happy selling premium cars with mediocre quality OEM parts. This seems to be a battery related issue that may have sparked fire with the wiring. Please give us an update on this don_carmaster whenever you get anything from the M&M management. There are many XUV owners in this forum who will be concerned and hear about this issue.

[raj_5004]

Pretty shocking since I myself own a XUV.

Was this car fitted with any aftermarket stuff like ICE or horn? If not, M&M needs to investigate as deep as possible to find out what caused this as this maybe a potential threat for many or all the XUVs on the road.

I am sure M&M does not need another NANO like fiasco involved with their premium offering.

[abirnale]

Shocking for sure! It would be too early to comment on the condition of vehicle whether it was all stock or "some mods". All we can do for now is wait to hear from the owner and keep an eye on how this episode is handled by everyone - Mahindra, insurance folks and owner.

Being an owner of new age variant, this is very much worrying :(

With the second look at the front of the car - seeing those extra chrome borders and fitments, feels like the vehicle isn't in stock condition. Only owner can confirm if at all there was any work that "may have" caused this problem. At the same time we understand that information may be withheld to avoid panic by Mahindra or by owner as it may risk the way this entire situation is handled.

Eagerly waiting for the updates.

[civic-sense]

Its pretty strange for a car to go up in flames while parked and engine not running. Has your friend been able to rule out sabotage?

[supertinu]

This is an unfortunate incident, we have had a few of these over the last few years across different manufacturers and yet to see any strong action or rules related to this that would make manufacturers more accountable especially if its a genuine manufacturing issue.

Nevertheless before jumping to conclusions I would give Mahindra the benefit of doubt and wait to see there official response on this matter.

Originally Posted by abirnale

With the second look at the front of the car - seeing those extra chrome borders and fitments, feels like the vehicle isn't in stock condition. Only owner can confirm if at all there was any work that "may have" caused this problem. At the same time we understand that information may be withheld to avoid panic by Mahindra or by owner as it may risk the way this entire situation is handled.
.

Chrome additions dont really requires any electrical/mech modifications. Those are mainly just stick on types and most of these are part of Mahindra's genuine accessory list as well. We need more concrete info before speculating.

[varunanb]

This is really shocking. But in cases of fire it really will be difficult to identify the cause. If the car is under warranty and no after market additions you can push for a replacement.

To be honest, this has nothing to do with cheap or an expensive cars. I've seen reports of really expensive cars catching fire and experts failing to identify the cause.

The best way is to push for replacement if under warranty else check if insurance can be claimed. This is a very unfortunate incident.

[Rahul Bhalgat]

Originally Posted by don_carmaster

Hi folks,

Below is an excerpt from my friends version of what happened with his XUV5OO. He is an extremely trustworthy driver, and maintains his vehicles like any BHPian would do. His car has never touched any roadside mechanic

Hi don_carmaster,

Sorry to hear about the damage to your friend's XUV.

It looks that there were no signs of trouble when he parked the car and locked it. He got the report of fire 15 minutes after reaching the classroom. So, the chances of sabotage shall also be considered IMO.

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by supertinu

Chrome additions dont really requires any electrical/mech modifications. Those are mainly just stick on types and most of these are part of Mahindra's genuine accessory list as well. We need more concrete info before speculating.

Exactly! The point I mentioned it is to highlight that - its an hint that there could be more things than just a chrome. And yes, chrome if causing the fire, that would be like

[Vigkey]

Like some others have pointed out, car catching fire while parked is pretty fishy. This is going with the assumption that the parked car had its engine off. What are possibilities that a car catches fire when the engine is off?? First is definitely going to point towards a sabotage. If that was not the case, especially with a security in the compound, what could be the other reasons?

If the engine was off - which means electricals were all off - Short-circuit can also ruled out. Is it possible that a vehicle parked under sun catches fire due to some sort of over-heating? - If there is some oil leak inside the engine bay. Is it possible that an over-heated turbo cause this even after it is switched off. Is there a possibility that the battery bursts causing the fire? I am thinking out loud and pardon me if some of the above are outright stupid.

[Seran Manian]

I feel very Sad about the incident. I feel that the cause might be due to Wires from battery terminals getting short circuited before the fuse. Only battery can give enough power to burn the plastic insulation, the flames from that in turn will burn plastics around.

Some thing similar happened to the Maruti van of my office few years back and I had to get in to the van and cut the wire from battery and then extinguish the fire.


Hope and wish you get back your SUV in perfect shape soon. All the best.

[peterjim13]

Very shocking. Especially being an owner of one like you. Mine is close to 3 years old now.

As others suggested, please update on the exact action taken and causes as suggested by Mahindra. I am sure Mahindra team would treat this well, unlike another bhpian who had a hard journey with his Sunny damaged at the service center in Chennai.

Hope things go out well with your friend.

[don_carmaster]

Dear all,

Thanks for your support guys, All the relavant information regarding car -
--> The car has run for nearly 22k kms
--> It was bought In September, 2012 - So it was very much under warranty.
--> The car has no Accessories, Horns, Headlights, Foglights which have been installed on the vehicle. Everything is stock and OEM.
--> Very recently A/C had not been working properly, and even then it was taken to Mahindra where they serviced the complete system.
--> The spot where the car was parked was under the constant monitor of the guard present there. He has vouched that no one touched the vehicle or tried to do anything with it.
--> There were no overhead cables at the spot where the car was parked.

Originally Posted by Tanveer_2558

Thats horrific to see, Specially when i myself have owned an xuv for 3.5 years and have recently got the new age xuv as well, Can you also share some details about the car? how many kms run? Last servicing etc? Also any history with rats attack to the car?
I really hope Mahindra gets a really fair arrangement with your friend, Please do keep us posted.

Last Service was on time schedule. Details of which can be shared

Originally Posted by iron.head

Earlier there have been report/reports of Mahindra Thar catching fire and now this XUV! The right side(towards the battery) has taken more damage from the fire than the left. Is it the electricals or the battery that's causing this to Mahindra vehicles?

In of the threads where a Mahindra Thar had caught fire Behram Sir had indicated that the fire was linked to where the battery was located.

Even we are confused with such points.

Originally Posted by karthick_b

What is wrong with Mahindra these days? They seem to be happy selling premium cars with mediocre quality OEM parts. This seems to be a battery related issue that may have sparked fire with the wiring. Please give us an update on this don_carmaster whenever you get anything from the M&M management. There are many XUV owners in this forum who will be concerned and hear about this issue.

I am equally terrified by their offerings and on top of that the attitude shown towards a said Premium Costumer.

Originally Posted by raj_5004

Pretty shocking since I myself own a XUV.

Was this car fitted with any aftermarket stuff like ICE or horn? If not, M&M needs to investigate as deep as possible to find out what caused this as this maybe a potential threat for many or all the XUVs on the road.

I am sure M&M does not need another NANO like fiasco involved with their premium offering.

Certianly not sir, No aftermarket fitment, even the chrome fitment was from dealer.

Originally Posted by abirnale

Shocking for sure! It would be too early to comment on the condition of vehicle whether it was all stock or "some mods". All we can do for now is wait to hear from the owner and keep an eye on how this episode is handled by everyone - Mahindra, insurance folks and owner.

Being an owner of new age variant, this is very much worrying :(

With the second look at the front of the car - seeing those extra chrome borders and fitments, feels like the vehicle isn't in stock condition. Only owner can confirm if at all there was any work that "may have" caused this problem. At the same time we understand that information may be withheld to avoid panic by Mahindra or by owner as it may risk the way this entire situation is handled.

Eagerly waiting for the updates.

Sir, the car is under 100 percent stock condition, very recently the headlight bulb got fused, even that was changed at MASS. None of the people at their home are inclined to level that they would mess up with anything with the most premium car of their House.

Originally Posted by civic-sense

Its pretty strange for a car to go up in flames while parked and engine not running. Has your friend been able to rule out sabotage?

Certainly, the guard standing below the classroom who had a view of the car, confirmed so.

Originally Posted by varunanb

This is really shocking. But in cases of fire it really will be difficult to identify the cause. If the car is under warranty and no after market additions you can push for a replacement.

To be honest, this has nothing to do with cheap or an expensive cars. I've seen reports of really expensive cars catching fire and experts failing to identify the cause.

The best way is to push for replacement if under warranty else check if insurance can be claimed. This is a very unfortunate incident.

We are certainly not in a condition to claim insurance on this vehicle. I bet neither he nor anyone of us here can travel in a CAR, which has " Burnt " once peacefully.

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

Hi don_carmaster,

Sorry to hear about the damage to your friend's XUV.

It looks that there were no signs of trouble when he parked the car and locked it. He got the report of fire 15 minutes after reaching the classroom. So, the chances of sabotage shall also be considered IMO.

They were considered at first, but the guard, confirmed in Negation of the same

Originally Posted by Vigkey

Like some others have pointed out, car catching fire while parked is pretty fishy. This is going with the assumption that the parked car had its engine off. What are possibilities that a car catches fire when the engine is off?? First is definitely going to point towards a sabotage. If that was not the case, especially with a security in the compound, what could be the other reasons?

If the engine was off - which means electricals were all off - Short-circuit can also ruled out. Is it possible that a vehicle parked under sun catches fire due to some sort of over-heating? - If there is some oil leak inside the engine bay. Is it possible that an over-heated turbo cause this even after it is switched off. Is there a possibility that the battery bursts causing the fire? I am thinking out loud and pardon me if some of the above are outright stupid.

I believe some of the electrical components sill maintain a current flow, especially the Infotainment system because of which the car maintains the previously accessed data. A short circuit in that system probably?


Regards,
Sahil