[dragracer567]

Is there a government regulator in India like NHTSA in the US which deals with such issues? I feel it would be better if an independent investigation is done instead of MG doing it (and trying to cover any problems
up).

Should be noted that such news haven’t cropped up for other versions of this model like the Chevrolet Captiva, so did SAIC motors reduce the quality of parts for the Indian market (like most OEMs?

[itwasntme]

Amazed that vehicles (even buses) were nonchalantly passing by barely 3 feet away! We Indians have only ourselves to blame from injuries and deaths from 'accidents'.

The Hector has a 60 litre fuel tank. I would not have gone within 50 metres unless my life depended on it. In fact in the last video (beginning), looks like the LHS front tyre blew out just as that auto passed less than 2 feet away.

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by racer_ash

One of the videos shows fire dripping from below the bonnet. This, I think is consistent with some leak

Although fuel line leaks are one of the top causes of engine fires, what is dripping may not be fuel.
There is a lot of plastic cladding of engine parts. And lots of cables that have plastic tubes, pipes and insulation. All of this will melt and drip in engine bay fires. It could be these plastic parts too.

[NTO]

This is scary. Super cars catching fire is a common sight along with cars having modded electrical accessories. But, this comes as a surprise. We should probably search for such incidents in the Chinese Baojun 530 as both are practically the same car.
Nothing can defame a brand than such incidents if it is not handled carefully by the brand. India takes time to trust a product and the trust is not built just like that (eg. Toyota Innova). However, if a new entrant with its first launch having to face such an issue is worrisome. In no time, our market will reject the brand. Hope MG does well on these incidents.
I hope no one is physically injured and my prayers for the traumatized people having to face such an incident with their new car to recover soon from the trauma.

Originally Posted by racer_ash

One of the videos shows fire dripping from below the bonnet. This, I think is consistent with some leak in a fuel line which is causing the fuel to come in contact with the hot engine components thereby catching fire and dripping below.

It looks like the engine oil dripping from the sump as the drip rate is pretty slow owing to the high viscosity of the fluid being burnt. It could also be some plastic part or cable insulation melting and dripping as drops of fire. As mentioned by someone before, this seems to be a clear case of electrical fire.

Originally Posted by Reinhard

Curiously - what happens now for the unlucky customers? Does this get covered in warranty at all? Or its just a total loss case & they have to be content with payment from insurance? I don't see a point in repairing and continuing to use a piece with such flaming history.

As a goodwill gesture and for the new manufacturer in India to save name, they should cover it under warranty and replace the car to the customer. Had it been me in such a situation, I would've fought for a full refund and buy a more common and proven product than using a product which once threatened the lives of my deared ones and me

[BloggerMathai]

Originally Posted by 2000rpm

I think MG's chinese car has had quite a few problems which the company has been able to manage well. Remember the case on the donkey pulled car? I hope it meets the same fate as the Nano unless the company decides to behave responsibly. Which I dont expect from a Chinese company!

It may have less to do with it being an Chinese car and more to do with local QA/QC.
I've been seeing MG cars getting thrashed around in 50 degree C heat in Middle East for more than a decade and not one fire so far.

[whencut86]

Reminded of this dialogue from Ford vs Ferrari movie:
Henry Ford II: Give me one reason why I don’t fire everyone associated with this abomination, starting with you.
Carroll Shelby: Well, sir, I was thinking about that very question as I sat out there in your lovely waiting room. As I was sitting there, I watched that little red folder, right there, go through four pairs of hands before it got to you. Of course, that don’t include the twenty-two or so other Ford employees who probably poked at it before it made its way up to the nineteenth floor.

No offence to the owners, but an automobile is just not something to take from point A to B with all gadgets and internet inside gizmos. Chinese govt taking stakes in a lot of automobile companies with no idea of how to build a car or a bike but only manage stuff maybe the reason for such fires. I know the components for MG Hector are localised in our country but building a reliable car with good ride/handling and driveable engine takes passion and not just acquisition and management.

There will be no news coming out of China for Bajoun 350 fires since the Chinese govt controls the social media and news there and the same govt controls the stake in MG through proxies.

No way intended to bash Chinese since I will appreciate if they truly build a good reliable driver's car with good ride and handling but Chinese are far away from it

[Nalin1]

Does anyone know or have authentic information on the sequence of events that led to these unfortunate fire incidents? Or details if any of the electrical parts in the car were messed up? Or any statements by the owners to know their side of the story?

If not, we can close this thread as there is no point in discussing.

[coolkurt]

This is pretty scary and does require some fact finding on MG's part.

The comments in the video concerning the DCT point to a wiring short or fault which led to it catching fire. Maybe the cause was the infotainment wiring which could be the common factor.

I've gotten in touch with a few people at MG and I'm trying to ascertain if there is any common link in the two fire incidents.

Being a Hector owner myself, I only hope that the problem is identified and rectified before any further incident.

[abhishek46]

As a consumer, I would like to see a proper investigation around these incidents.

It looks like both MG & the government are sitting tight on this one. Are they waiting for people to lose their lives and then take action?

The certifying authority & manufacturer should jointly investigate these events, and issue recalls & public advisory as soon as possible.

[2000rpm]

Originally Posted by BloggerMathai

It may have less to do with it being an Chinese car and more to do with local QA/QC.
I've been seeing MG cars getting thrashed around in 50 degree C heat in Middle East for more than a decade and not one fire so far.

In my view, the origin of car matters. Look at Japanese manufacturers, Indian Manufacturers, German manufacturers, they inherit the quality of their originating companies.

I think they have bought the GM Plant in Gujarat, dont think we had such quality issues with GM Products. Once acquired, the owner decides what processes to follow, where to cut costs, where to NOT cut costs. These decisions are based on the culture which links back to origins. Wish MG has more MG DNA than Chinese DNA.

Hope you get my point.

[realactivex]

Originally Posted by abhishek46

As a consumer, I would like to see a proper investigation around these incidents.

It looks like both MG & the government are sitting tight on this one. Are they waiting for people to lose their lives and then take action?

The certifying authority & manufacturer should jointly investigate these events, and issue recalls & public advisory as soon as possible.

I have seen Rajeev chaba's response to the email,wherein he expressed his shock and remorse. He has said that his team will go through the bottom of the rca. Will post his email once I get home later this evening

[laser2707]

Once again a big thanks to Team-BHP for publishing this thread. While mainstream media may brush this under the carpet, TBHP's independence ensures this is published.

I have two takeaways:

First, I don't want to get into the China vs. Others quality debate. What I find appalling is how can a brand new car costing 15 lakhs+ self-combust? One starts questioning the entire chain of command. The ARAI for giving this vehicle a fitness certificate, the OEM for giving it a QC certificate, the Auto journalists for going gaga over it. The OEM is now launching an electric vehicle. Imagine the hazards this vehicle will contain.

Second, is the apathy with which we treat road safety. Here is a car burning in the middle of the road. No cordoning of the area has happened. Passers-by are busy shooting videos. No attempt is made to douse the fire. Shouldn't most cars be equipped with a mandatory fire extinguisher? Or is that too much to ask in a 15 lakhs car? The apathy is pathetic.

[Yieldway17]

All this Chinese bashing instead of evaluating products on their own merit is shameful for a forum like Team-BHP. We are nothing better than Youtube commenters if that’s what we are resorting to.

At this point all the theories are pure speculation and let’s consider that before posting wild theories and blaming the manufacturer. MG Motors definitely owe the owners of those cars and the general public a preliminary update and then a detailed explanation though.

[Nissan1180]

If such a new and premium product goes into a total loss so often, the insurance companies will suffer.
Shouldn't the insurance company have the obligation to investigate the root cause? Also, I find it difficult to understand why customers paying 20 lakhs for a car are keeping quiet when this happens? Why has no news outlet picked this up yet? The hits and TRP generated from the views will far outweigh the few crores of marketing budget spend of MG.

[anoopGTkrish]

Silence from MG is quite concerning. They are generally quick to address issues raised by customers on social media. IIRC, even MG's India MD was actively responding to the twitter feud triggered by an owner that used a donkey to pull his Hector with the tagline "Its an animal thing".