[TB16]

Thank god you came out unhurt. Although haven't heard anything so drastic about GM, but this incident surely gives you permission to take them to the cleaners.
Anyhow keep us posted on the latest.

[Kumar R]

I just saw this post. What a horrific incident. Its great that you had the sense and alertness to guide the vehicle to a side and also to open the door to escape. GM should be thankful you were unhurt. Thank God

Please record / document every communication you have with GM from this point onwards. Keep in mind that the legal seller of the vehicle may be the dealer (and not GM) so involve the dealer as well (either with you or against). Look up the email ids of their top management in the USA and slowly escalate as and when you feel they are trying to shirk liability.

Is the car under warranty? I found this on the Chevy India website

The Chevrolet warranty assures peace of mind for all Chevrolet car owners. That’s because we offer a warranty valid of 3 years/1,00,000 Kms (whichever is earlier) from the date of delivery.

http://www.chevrolet.co.in/owners/ch...-warranty.html

If so you will have a stronger case.

Get a good lawyer and send some measured and reasonable demands to GM. If they don't agree threaten a consumer case (at least) and be prepared to fight it out. Write to some local tabloid newspapers and show them the photos.

[JoseVijay]

Shocking indeed!

Very happy that you came out alive in the nick of time. Great presence of mind there. Take GM to task and I pray that justice be delivered to you soon.

Was there any other discussion with GM brass with regard to compensation or claims from your side?

When U.S and China have recalled the vehicles sold in their country, why has GM taken India for granted?

[herculesksp]

Glad you got out of it unhurt.

I am sure the trauma will be hard to put behind.

Indian laws should be stronger and stricter to put such erring companies to task. Companies can't just keep taking Indian consumers for a ride.

[psankar]

Thankfully you had the presence of mind to open the windows. It is a lesson for a lot of us.

After reading your post, I have another question now. How is that the vehicle has not burst in flames, after the fire ? We see vehicles getting blasted often in case of fire in movies. It won't happen in real life? Also are there any protection mechanisms to arrest the spread of fire from anywhere (engine or interiors) to the fuel tank ? Some knowledgeable people can answer it. I will try to find the answers on my own too.

[zenren]

Glad you are safe!

GM is under scrutiny and a lot of bad reputation even in US for not acting on time and recalling their cars. They got away with any claims before their bankruptcy filing due to that clause but if they haven't still changed, it would be an interesting incident to investigate for the International Press as well. It may not directly impact the US unit but it would throw some light on how they follow the processes currently.

I would recommend sending this information to the leading dailies in US as well, since they might also be interested in knowing if the malpractices and cover ups are still ongoing in GM as a whole. If GM HQ starts facing the heat for the actions of their subsidiaries across the globe, that is when our GM India leadership would wake up from their pretended slumber.

[S.MJet]

This is very shocking.
A big thanks to God + your presence of mind for escaping unhurt.

Locking of doors & windows during fire seems to be a big safety hazard.

I wonder if US/Euro automobile regulatory bodies have any regulations/guidelines on this safety aspect.

[D4D]

First of all, thank your Guardian angel that you could come out in the nick of time. Also, please take this issue up with Chevy and ask for a reasonable compensation.

Originally Posted by Kumar R

The Chevrolet warranty assures peace of mind for all Chevrolet car owners. That’s because we offer a warranty valid of 3 years/1,00,000 Kms (whichever is earlier) from the date of delivery.

Your vehicle is under warranty for sure. Ask them for a fair compensation.


Also, why are there no laws in our country to protect consumers from defective cars and two-wheelers?

[The Observer]

Originally Posted by Rk Ranjan

Dear All- (this is a rather long post, but I promise you will be wiser and safer as a car owner and car buyer after reading this...)

I have narrowly escaped death from a burning Chevrolet vehicle, by a margin of a few seconds, and have pledged to expose the callousness and malpractices of GM India.

There was fast moving traffic all around me. Gathering my wits, I somehow maneuvered the vehicle on the wrong side of road to avoid running over bikers and pedestrians crossing a junction. Seeing a safe spot, I applied manual parking brakes and somehow controlled the vehicle to stop. By then, the bonnet had caught fire and doors had jammed. Thankfully, because I had rolled down the window, I could open the driver-side door from outside and jumped out of the vehicle. Within 3-4 minutes, the entire engine compartment was burnt to ashes.

[Pics enclosed for your reference]

I have lived to tell the tale....
?

Dear RK Ranjan, Thank the Almighty for giving you the presence of mind and saving you from that situation ! Happy to read that you escape unhurt.

Sadly the Chevy didnt, reading your post gave me a chill, how one's car can become a death trap, that too a premium car ! it is so horrific and scaring !!

I sincerely hope GM take this up seriously and compensates you and also do a fire safety check for all Captiva's pan India

+1 to arun27g's suggestions, further do you have any contacts in the media that can help? I am sure GM will respond faster when this information hits the TV/print media.

Please do keep us posted on the progress

Dear members : Do you think the presence of a car fire extinguisher and a glass breaking hammer as a safety device will help in such situations, doors and power windows getting locked in a fire situation is so scary!

I found a related thread on car fire extinguishers

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...her-car-5.html

[Carpainter]

That is one horrible incident. Thank God you are safe. Guessing that you have already escalated the issue to GM, how do they plan to compensate? These companies never want to take the responsibility. Don't ever let them get away with this.

[norhog]

Hi
Well I congratulate you on being reborn.
May be I am less informed but 5 Chevy Captivas burning!!!
Did not see this on any news channel like Times Now, NDTV, CNBC etc.
I watch them whenever I find time, but daily on average 1 hr I watch news.
Did not see anything in news paper as well. (I live in Kolkata and read Times Of India).
Media was not so forgiving for TATA NANO few years back.
Well what to make of it?
I don't know about the car magazines, members please chip in, since I have stopped reading them for some time as Team BHP more than satisfies my thirst for automotive knowledge.
Hope our courts gives a speedy and fair trial against this multinational automotive giant in light of the recall that they did not do for the same model in India.

[arunu]

Shocking incident Ranjan. Glad that you escaped unhurt.

Originally Posted by Rk Ranjan

27000 kms)
A few shocking facts I have discovered over the last three weeks:
• In Dec 2011, GM announced a global recall of Captiva SUV to correct a reported fire risk in engine compartment. Shockingly, the recall did not and to date, has not taken place in India for this SUV which is manufactured and shipped globally from the same South Korean plant that caters to the US and China- two largest auto markets and where the recall happened very promptly. For more details, you can refer to this link- http://www.oncars.in/car-news/chevro...fire-risk/1578

• At least 5 cases of unexplained fire in engine compartment of Chevy Captiva have happened across India in the past 11 months. On 22nd July, in an exactly similar incident as mine, Chevrolet Captiva of Samir Suhag, national level polo player and Arjuna awardee burnt down. He and his wife escaped in time, just like me. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/38826408.cms

No offense, but for the sake of argument.

1) Were you aware of the global recalls before this accident. If yes, then why you did not pressurize GM India to carry out the same preventive work done on your car, since, as per your comments, its the same CBU imported globally.

2) If you were aware of 5 burning incidents, did you take any corrective/preventive actions to avoid possible accidents since you already were aware of the reasons / causes.

Again, not trying to find faults with anybody, but just trying to understand your point of views.

[ramzsys]

GM used the same engine in the cruze and the Optra- so what could possibly go wrong in Captiva alone?

[SaurabhSaran]

RK, good to know that you escaped unhurt. At the same time, I am shocked how these companies respond to customers when such case happens.

Originally Posted by arunu

No offense, but for the sake of argument.

1) Were you aware of the global recalls before this accident. If yes, then why you did not pressurize GM India to carry out the same preventive work done on your car, since, as per your comments, its the same CBU imported globally.

2) If you were aware of 5 burning incidents, did you take any corrective/preventive actions to avoid possible accidents since you already were aware of the reasons / causes.

Again, not trying to find faults with anybody, but just trying to understand your point of views.

I think RK collected this information after the incident only.

A few shocking facts I have discovered over the last three weeks:

[stewie]

Originally Posted by arunu

Shocking incident Ranjan. Glad that you escaped unhurt.



No offense, but for the sake of argument.

1) Were you aware of the global recalls before this accident. If yes, then why you did not pressurize GM India to carry out the same preventive work done on your car, since, as per your comments, its the same CBU imported globally.

2) If you were aware of 5 burning incidents, did you take any corrective/preventive actions to avoid possible accidents since you already were aware of the reasons / causes.

Again, not trying to find faults with anybody, but just trying to understand your point of views.

The OP has mentioned in his post that he started looking for the recall and burning incidents after his car caught fire last month (August).