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Old 31st January 2012, 16:07   #31
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Re: Accidents : Vehicles catching fire in India

The doors of the Vento, if programmed accordingly in the PDI, lock when speeds exceed 15 kmph. The doors also unlock when speeds fall below 15 kmph. The article says that the vehicle caught fire while in motion (probably before the speed reduced below 15 kmph) and during the fire there probably would have been a short circuit of the ECU as a result of which the doors would have remained locked. It is after the ECU has unlocked the car (when the speeds reduce below 15kmph) that the doors can be opened.

It should be possible to have a manual override that permits passengers to open the doors from inside even if the ECU has not unlocked the car and this would have prevented the current situation from happening.

Thanks for the correction 007 – the line should read “In the event of a fire (as in this case), it is possible that a short circuit would have caused the ECU not to sense an "accident situation" and make the doors unlock (as the ECU does in the case of an accident)”.
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Old 31st January 2012, 16:40   #32
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Re: Accidents : Vehicles catching fire in India

I just bought a Polo TDI and this new is a little unnerving.I feel bad for the owner. He lost his car and suffered burns. I wonder if the newspapers got it right. How can the seatbelt get jammed ?

I think the owner must've panicked, and the newspapers wrote it as 'seatbelt jammed'.

The link mentioning the VW recall is only for the 2.0TDI engines. No mention about the 1.6TDI which caught fire(assuming it was the cause, and not any other factor)
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Old 31st January 2012, 16:52   #33
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Re: Pune : Roads, traffic conditions, route queries and other assorted rants.

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Originally Posted by AutoIndian View Post
Did any one of you Puneites happen to see this burning car. I believe it is a Vento.
Further details on the incident in the below link (courtesy SR-71 from Volkswagen Vento : Test Drive & Review' thread)

Car bursts into flames in Pune; owner rescued
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Old 31st January 2012, 17:01   #34
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Re: Pune : Roads, traffic conditions, route queries and other assorted rants.

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Originally Posted by Swanand Inamdar View Post
He was unable to unlock the seatbelts in time and the fire actually engulfed the car cabin too.
The people standing by had to break the windscreen, cut the seatbelt and pull him out.
.
The gentleman is a relative of one of my lunch partners. The fire started for no apparent reason, and the first thing that happened is that the electricals shut down. No windows or unlocking of doors was possible. He wasn't able to even release the seat belt, due to panic and the need to escape the flames. That is when passer bys got him out. He has suffered 50% burns and is critical for next 48 hrs.

Fortunately, there is no permanent damage to face/head and all sensory organs are ok.
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Old 31st January 2012, 18:05   #35
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Re: Pune : Roads, traffic conditions, route queries and other assorted rants.

Wondering what could possibly cause this? This is even more surprising for a car like Vento which is supposed to be well engineered. The news item says engineers from Germany are going to fly down to investigate this further, wondering if anything could be left worth analyzing. This isn't a plane with an FDR or a CVR (Disclaimer: I'm no expert, so may be they can find out something.)

I think people should start carrying a hammer to break the glass and a pair of scissors to cut the seat belt in case of emergencies like this.
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Old 31st January 2012, 21:39   #36
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Re: Accidents : Vehicles catching fire in India

I read about this incident in the news today, and I thought of Team BHP discussion on it - and here it is !

Read this and the previous page, seems no report on the cause of the fire yet. This was a diesel Vento, as petrol lights up faster, I wonder what might have happened if it was petrol rather than diesel.

As for the cause : could it be the short circuit being cause by rats nibbling wires , ruining the insulation - just thinking out loud. I have read a few stories of rats getting mean on cars, though I don't understand why/what rats attracts rats to car wiring in the first place.
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Old 31st January 2012, 22:27   #37
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Re: VENTO catches fire!

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Originally Posted by dot View Post
[...] As I understand, there are no real flame retardant regulations when it comes to combustible materials used in a vehicle.
Hi Dot,
I guess you are talking about the legal regulation which, as you are saying, may not be in place. But there are definite design regulations for interior parts with regard to the flammability requirements and test methods for it. They are part of standard component acceptance process.

This is a curious case and I look forward to the official analysis report to ascertain the root cause of this mishap.

Last edited by ritzy : 31st January 2012 at 22:32. Reason: deleted repeated words.
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Old 1st February 2012, 13:40   #38
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Re: Tata nano fire incidents (UPDATED) (Tatas analysis - pg34)

A Vento caught fire yesterday at Pune. Driver sustains 60% injuries to face and front, commuters pull him out to safety. Source: NDTV,.com. Car bursts into flames in Pune; owner rescued
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Old 2nd February 2012, 19:03   #39
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Re: Pune : Roads, traffic conditions, route queries and other assorted rants.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mmxylorider View Post
The gentleman is a relative of one of my lunch partners. The fire started for no apparent reason, and the first thing that happened is that the electricals shut down. No windows or unlocking of doors was possible. He wasn't able to even release the seat belt, due to panic and the need to escape the flames. That is when passer bys got him out. He has suffered 50% burns and is critical for next 48 hrs.

Fortunately, there is no permanent damage to face/head and all sensory organs are ok.
Was he smoking in the car? My guess is NOT but it has been reported so.
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Old 3rd February 2012, 12:07   #40
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Re: Accidents : Vehicles catching fire in India

Quote:
Originally Posted by VeyronSuperSprt View Post
The doors of the Vento, if programmed accordingly in the PDI, lock when speeds exceed 15 kmph. The doors also unlock when speeds fall below 15 kmph. The article says that the vehicle caught fire while in motion (probably before the speed reduced below 15 kmph) and during the fire there probably would have been a short circuit of the ECU as a result of which the doors would have remained locked. It is after the ECU has unlocked the car (when the speeds reduce below 15kmph) that the doors can be opened.

It should be possible to have a manual override that permits passengers to open the doors from inside even if the ECU has not unlocked the car and this would have prevented the current situation from happening.

Thanks for the correction 007 – the line should read “In the event of a fire (as in this case), it is possible that a short circuit would have caused the ECU not to sense an "accident situation" and make the doors unlock (as the ECU does in the case of an accident)”.
The doors of a Vento never lock from the inside, its always unlocked for the occupants of the car . The locked situation is only applicable for those who are trying to open the door from the outside . In case of an accident situation the ECU senses an impact and unlocks the door so that it can be opened from the outside and the occupants can be rescued.

While the car catching fire is of extreme concern to al of us ( hope VW comes out with the complete truth ) , I don't believe the fact the doors locked for the driver or the seat belts jammed !
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Old 3rd February 2012, 21:06   #41
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Quote:
Originally Posted by souravc

The doors of a Vento never lock from the inside, its always unlocked for the occupants of the car . The locked situation is only applicable for those who are trying to open the door from the outside . In case of an accident situation the ECU senses an impact and unlocks the door so that it can be opened from the outside and the occupants can be rescued.

While the car catching fire is of extreme concern to al of us ( hope VW comes out with the complete truth ) , I don't believe the fact the doors locked for the driver or the seat belts jammed !
Thank heavens for this! Any Idea of whether this is true for the Yeti? I will of course check tomorrow but just wondered. Also is there any info on whether the owner had tried any after market fiddles on his car, on the electrical or electronics front?
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Old 6th February 2012, 20:54   #42
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Re: Volkswagen Vento : Test Drive & Review

A sad update: The Vento owner( of the car that caught fire last week on FC Road, link here: http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/c...om=home-cities), died today at 4 PM & happen to be my relative. From the facts gathered so far, the door & seat bolt got jammed & no, nothing to do with panic of driver. Even rescuers couldn't open the belts & doors & had to cut the seat belts to take that person out, thereby consuming precious time & aggravating the severity of the burns, ultimately resulting in the sad & untimely death. Shall VW clarify the exact cause of the fire & remedial measures.
P.S. Please suggest the way forward to deal with VW? Shall be going for the funeral tomorrow & share more details of the incident.

Last edited by nawalsingal : 6th February 2012 at 20:57.
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Old 6th February 2012, 21:07   #43
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nawalsingal
A sad update: The Vento owner( of the car that caught fire last week on FC Road, link here: http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/c...om=home-cities), died today at 4 PM & happen to be my relative. From the facts gathered so far, the door & seat bolt got jammed & no, nothing to do with panic of driver. Even rescuers couldn't open the belts & doors & had to cut the seat belts to take that person out, thereby consuming precious time & aggravating the severity of the burns, ultimately resulting in the sad & untimely death. Shall VW clarify the exact cause of the fire & remedial measures.
P.S. Please suggest the way forward to deal with VW? Shall be going for the funeral tomorrow & share more details of the incident.
This is definitely serious. My heart reaches out to the family. May his soul rest in peace

Yes, I think VW definitely owes a complete and detailed explanation on this.
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Old 6th February 2012, 21:33   #44
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Re: Volkswagen Vento : Test Drive & Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by nawalsingal View Post
A sad update: The Vento owner( of the car that caught fire last week on FC Road, link here: Car bursts into flames in Pune; owner rescued), died today at 4 PM & happen to be my relative. From the facts gathered so far, the door & seat bolt got jammed & no, nothing to do with panic of driver. Even rescuers couldn't open the belts & doors & had to cut the seat belts to take that person out, thereby consuming precious time & aggravating the severity of the burns, ultimately resulting in the sad & untimely death. Shall VW clarify the exact cause of the fire & remedial measures.
P.S. Please suggest the way forward to deal with VW? Shall be going for the funeral tomorrow & share more details of the incident.
Very sorry to hear this and will remember him in our prayers.

I suggest that a lawyer is engaged and participates in the VW investigation along with an independent expert that you choose. I think it is something that VW should have to agree to.

Please do let us know how things turn out and how VW respond. You might want to start a separate thread on it.

Last edited by dingolphie : 6th February 2012 at 21:34.
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Old 6th February 2012, 21:37   #45
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Re: Accidents : Vehicles catching fire in India

Quote:
Originally Posted by souravc View Post
While the car catching fire is of extreme concern to al of us ( hope VW comes out with the complete truth ) , I don't believe the fact the doors locked for the driver or the seat belts jammed !
You better believe this. I also own a POLO & thought so, but the fellow, driving Vento happened to be a relative of mine & he died today due to burns. The doors/ belts got jammed & this has been confirmed by those who rescued the man by breaking the windshield & cutting the belts & not by opening the doors & belts. So while having faith in VW is OK, always better to be cautious.
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