Accidents : Vehicles catching Fire in India

[Raosaheb Desai]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

frightening business - fire.
its a good servant but a dangerous master like electricity.


this life hammer seems the only solution
but the blessed thing needs to be easily at hand if such things happen or if your vehicle gets bogged down in water or whatever and you need to exit quickly.
I think it is a good thing to add to one's car kit and shall do so forthwith.
where to get one?

Right. Few days back, the spare part shop owner from whom I usually buy maintenance spray asked me to buy this hammer (its a combination of emergency light , glass cutter & hammer). I ignored it but now wish to buy one.

[CARDEEP]

Originally Posted by PGNarain

Having said that, i agree with rkg, in that if this were a Nano, the media would have got hold of this and made a BIG ruckus. It is due to this kind of partial and negative publicity that even educated and well read people come to the wrong conclusions. For instance, my wife says she will never buy a Nano, or let me buy one coz it may go up in flames at the drop of a hat.

What is even more deplorable is that in these trying times for Maruti, there is not even a word from the Maruti Mgmt about this incident. I guess they just want to hide behind the ignorance of the general public.

Nano has been news media's TRP star, whether it was for good & bad reasons. Other cars are not as hyped as the Nano is... i.e. in any way these will carry the burden of billion hopes.

Coming back to the latest news it is really tragic that a life is lost, & the manufacturer will wash hands away cleanly claiming after market addons the real culprit for the fire. I would also not blame the manufacturer solely for the fire incident, but, there could be quality lapses from Maruti Suzuki's part as well, especially considering two Maruti Suzukis catching fire (out of which at least one was new). There could be some component manufacturer who is common to Tata & Maruti, who can to blamed.

Further, I would shoot down the chances of a blast in LPG/CNG cylinder (as one of the fellow has pointed out) as the image I saw in the newspaper, there was no frame for the cylinder kit, & damage (except due to fire) at the rear seats & hatch (rear) door does not hint at anything like blast. IMO this fire has to do something with the engine overheating & there have been many cases when genuine locking system lock the doors, due to which the occupants cannot go out.

At the end, my deepest condolences to the family who lost a member & may his soul rest in peace.

PS: I feel the two threads on Maruti Suzuki's on fire can be merged. Mods, please do the needful.

[Irish]

Originally Posted by 2cents

My heart felt condolances!27 yrs, should be a very young family man!
I still don't see any reason to suspect Maruti, although this is second case in as many days, earlier one being a swift (or is it dzire?). Alto sells 20000 pieces a month. The likely culprit is the wiring for added accessories, in this case,
could be the central locking. Let's wait for more details.

He was going to become a father very soon.

Originally Posted by akshay4587

How can central locking cause a car to burst into flames???
Doors can be unlocked manually.
I suspect CNG\LPG cylinder.
However something seems to be fishy.
If other two escaped,why couldnt he?

Akshay, He was the only person inside the car.

Pradeep was to become a father soon

NEW DELHI: The child will never get to see his father. Pradeep was to become a dad in the coming months. Wife Esha is five month's pregnant and she had urged Pradeep to take her to a hospital for check-up. He had asked her to wait for a while, as he had to meet a senior colleague. He promised to return early and take her to a gynaecologist. But, Pradeep did not return. Trapped inside his car, which burst into flames, he met a gruesome end.

A large group of people ranging from police officers to passers-by gathered around the burnt car unable to comprehend how the fire had broken out. The authorities concerned are awaiting a report from forensic experts, who searched for clues to ascertain the cause of the fire.

Pradeep and his family lived in E-block of Babarpur area. He is survived by his wife, parents, a married sister and a brother. Pradeep was a sales manager with a telecom company and had got married a year back. After police traced the owner of the vehicle, the relatives were called in for identification. Pradeep's relatives said he had met with an accident a year ago and was identified from the iron rod near the elbow.

Source: Pradeep was to become a father soon - The Times of India


May God give strength to his family and friends in this hour of grief.


- Irish

[vikramvicky1984]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Instead of iron rod keep a Life Hammer in the car. Will break any vehicle window and can cut the seat belt straps.

Amazon.com: LifeHammer The Original Emergency Hammer (Orange): Automotive

This is indeed a good hammer to have. Is it possible to buy this in India? Not everyone is comfortable ordering stuff from abroad

[sushantr5]

Sincere condolences to the family.

If it was nano then it would have been headline. Last week in Pune one Ritz and Omni caught fire when they were parked. This has been largely gone unnoticed. This news was there in Pune Mirror.

[Ragul]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Maruti seems to have developed quite a reputation of late; worker problems and now cars going up in flame.

It may not be Maruti's fault

Originally Posted by akshay4587

How can central locking cause a car to burst into flames???
Doors can be unlocked manually.
I suspect CNG\LPG cylinder.
However something seems to be fishy.
If other two escaped,why couldnt he?

Originally Posted by Gansan

Exactly my line of thought. My car too is absolutely stock and I even fitted the music system at MGA. I actually have a morbid fear of central locking and have not installed it in my car.

Could it not be faulty wiring/electricals for Music system mod or lighting done by roadside vendor?

--Ragul

[ashis89]

It's very sad to read such a thing. May his soul rest in peace and my condolences to his family.


Alto doesn't come with central locking IMO. So he must have installed it after market. I think these products are turning out to be unreliable and highly dangerous. We should stick to OEM products rather than going in for grey market ones.

[vikrantj]

My condolences to the family and indeed a tragic loss.

Somehow I feel in the forums general sentiments are like, if it is Tata then it is a manufacturing fault and if it is Maruti Suzuki then it is because of after market. I do not understand why even we have to go for after market fittings if manufacturers would have provided them in the first place. Is the total cost of car costlier than somebody's life ? Why does Maruti not provide central locking etc as a standard accessory rather than let people look out for alternatives ? Why do people have to scout for LHS mirror or adjustable rear view mirror ? Why is ABS/EBD or Fuel cutoff system not compulsory in even entry level cars ?

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by Ragul

Could it not be faulty wiring/electricals for Music system mod or lighting done by roadside vendor?

We do not know as yet if he did any mods or not, that too by a roadside vendor.

[download2live]

Originally Posted by vikrantj

Is the total cost of car costlier than somebody's life ?

In books of many Indians including perspective buyers :yes.

Originally Posted by vikrantj

Why does Maruti not provide central locking etc as a standard accessory rather than let people look out for alternatives ?

The same people whose well being we wish won't touch it with a 10 foot barge pole if this adds up to cost.

Originally Posted by vikrantj

Why do people have to scout for LHS mirror or adjustable rear view mirror ?

I have seen people in Delhi telling it was your fault that you kept the left hand side mirror open, not mine that I broke it.

Originally Posted by vikrantj

Why is ABS/EBD or Fuel cutoff system not compulsory in even entry level cars ?

Same reason as above. In name of status people just want a box on 4 wheels. They don't care 2 hoots about safety. I am not talking of TBhpians.
I am talking of aam junta.

OT: Diesel does not catches fire under normal conditions. Right? So is it safer to be in a Diesel car under these conditions?

[manishk123]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

frightening business - fire.
its a good servant but a dangerous master like electricity.


this life hammer seems the only solution
but the blessed thing needs to be easily at hand if such things happen or if your vehicle gets bogged down in water or whatever and you need to exit quickly.
I think it is a good thing to add to one's car kit and shall do so forthwith.
where to get one?

I saw the Life Hammer for sale at this music store in Mumbai called Rhythm House in Fort area. Was for Rs.700 if i'm not mistaken.

[vikrantj]

Originally Posted by download2live

In books of many Indians including perspective buyers :yes.

The same people whose well being we wish won't touch it with a 10 foot barge pole if this adds up to cost.

I have seen people in Delhi telling it was your fault that you kept the left hand side mirror open, not mine that I broke it.

Same reason as above. In name of status people just want a box on 4 wheels. They don't care 2 hoots about safety. I am not talking of TBhpians.
I am talking of aam junta.

OT: Diesel does not catches fire under normal conditions. Right? So is it safer to be in a Diesel car under these conditions?

Yes agree to all of above. People will look for economy so rather force them into buying a safe car. People tend to buy such products since they have an option of buying them. Do not give them an option of buying cars without a minimum set of safety standards and certain NCAP ratings. Or make insurance installment ridiculously high on such products. I agree cars will become costlier so it serves some purposes too like (sorry if they sound hypothetical):

1. Since it is costlier people will respect their and other's car more which may lead to lesser accidents.
2. Lesser cars on the roads.
3. Govt will be forced to upgrade Mass transit systems due to inherent public pressure.

[subscrive]

Originally Posted by PGNarain

My condolences to the family, it is really unfortunate.

Further, i would like to add that coming to conclusions about the cause of the fire when investigations are incomplete is not done, as per the report "Foul Play" to has not been ruled out, we will just have to wait and see.



Having said that, i agree with rkg, in that if this were a Nano, the media would have got hold of this and made a BIG ruckus. It is due to this kind of partial and negative publicity that even educated and well read people come to the wrong conclusions. For instance, my wife says she will never buy a Nano, or let me buy one coz it may go up in flames at the drop of a hat.

What is even more deplorable is that in these trying times for Maruti, there is not even a word from the Maruti Mgmt about this incident. I guess they just want to hide behind the ignorance of the general public.

The reason is the %. % nanos that caught fire is way more than that on alto. and also the frequency within that short duration.

So if no of altos blast in few more weeks or months, the public perception will similarly change and u can see drastic decrease in alto.

nano catching fire didnt decrease indica sales, right?
which model from that manufacturer is also important.

[noopster]

This is tragic. A gruesome way for anybody to meet their end. My heart goes out to the family.

Are aftermarket central locking systems likely to cause such horrible incidents? I do hope someone comes with a full explanation of how ths occured. The family deserves at least that much, and so do all motorists in this country.

[ram_hyundai]

We have seen such incidents of car on fire earlier also.My great concern and deep condolances to the family.Why dont the RTO make the portable fire extingusher a mandatory item in the car (like a saree guard in two wheelers) before registration.I have seen a lot of friends having it in their cars.Nowadays busses including the state transport busses have it (the bigger version)in them in kerela.
ram