[LoneWolf9]

VW cars did carry the risk of catching fire. They had several recalls abroad due to the fuel leak issue.

Google and you would see that VW fuel leak issue has been there since 2010 and several recalls have happened for the same reason.

Below is the link talking about recent recall for 2015 vehicle. I believe this recall was not done in India.

Iam not sure if your vehicle belongs to one of these batches.

Irrespective of what people may say, given this background, you have a solid case and VW has a lot to answer.

All the Best.


http://www.citizensreport.org/2015/0...ay-catch-fire/

[Epic]

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

Whats the source of this ? My Jetta was in the workshop for 5-6 days recently and i didnt get any offer of a loaner or reimbursement of travel bills. Some insurance policies do however offer add-on for travel reimbursement in case of car being in workshop.

The source is my own personal experience. My Polo 1.6 was in the workshop for almost 3 weeks to replace the Deep Groove Ball Bearing in the transmission. Since there was no loaner car available, I was paid Rs. 1200 a day. This happened in 2015. I did not use insurance for this repair and paid myself. I was surprised too with this entire experience.

[centaur]

Originally Posted by Epic

Hi ithack,

I feel sorry and sympathize with you for this loss. I am even more surprised to see that it has happened to a VW. I don't remember hearing of a VW car going up in flames for no reason.

Take look here. Definitely not the first VW to go up in flames. The one in the link engulfed the owner too unfortunately

[Epic]

Originally Posted by centaur

Take look here. Definitely not the first VW to go up in flames. The one in the link engulfed the owner too unfortunately

Hi Centaur,

Yes there possibly have been rare cases of VW cars going up in flames but definitely not as much as the Tata Nanos that were notoriously known for catching fire. The post in your link is of 2012. How many times after that have there been cases of VW cars catching fire? Also, one must also take into account the cause of the fire; was it due to a manufacturing defect or carelessness of the owner/driver.

[Tanveer_2558]

It was a 1.5 year old car, I really feel if it was a manufacturing defect the car would have caught fire a bit more early? Maybe. If the car was serviced on time and was working completely fine before this incident i am having a tough time to come up with any reason because of which this could have happened, Yes RAT chewing up wiring's cannot be ruled out, Its really sad to see the car in this state and more over how you must be feeling right now, I really hope VW comes up with a solution to your favour asap, Do keep us posted.

[deerhunter]

VW USA recalled Jetta for fire risk a few months back. Not sure if the risk is same for Indian models or if that recall has already been issued in India.

Link

VW recalled Jetta and other models to rectify fire risk in 2010 and 2014 too. Link, Link

So many recalls for fire risk alone..!!!!

[rohiT Nonu]

It is a real disappointment for one who has trusted volkswagen to such an extent of buying 2 cars out of their stable and end up in such a traumatic scenario. It is a serious thought to assume what might have happened if the car owner is still driving the car and this incident occurs. These aspects are a serious safety concerns in the industry. The real culprit has to be identified by volkswagen and this has to be addressed by them even though there has been a rodent mischief under the hood. Now atleast the volkswagen and all automotive companies shall inculcate a rodent resistant harnesses in their machines.

Guys, in the present scenario where we are getting to hear many increasing cases of young cars catching fire on their own, I infer from these that it is always best to include the RETURN TO INVOICE ADD-ON in our insurance policy as return to invoice is available for cars which are less than 3years old only.

[su1978]

The attitude of Volkswagen group towards indian customers is very well known. They are aware of the loopholes in the indian judiciary system as well. They have full knowledge about the fact that most of customers will not go legal as the process is very lengthy and gruesome. Let alone Volkswagen, any other companies existing in india are also aware about this fact. Last week unfortunately my Honda Mobilio got rear ended by some big vehicle belonging to some MLA. At that time i was travelling with my family(parents, kids and wife). Considered it wise not to fight with him seeing the MLA sticker and orange beacon on top of his car. The damage to car is to the extent of entire tail gate and the rear bumper needs replacement. Firstly the surveyor denied paying up for the bumper. Secondly Honda does not have tail gate assembly with them. Numerous frantic calls to the Honda connect number has not yielded any results. They simply refuse connecting me to anyone from Honda and redirect me to the dealer. The dealer has already ordered the parts but does not have any tentative date when the tail gate assembly would get delivered to them. Just like you, i am also in a fix and helpless as to what needs to be done next. Multiple tweets and mails to customer service mail id has gone into the unending loop and every-time the reply received is just mechanical.

My simple question is what is your fault or my fault? Is it that we bought their products. You paid 25+ lakhs. I paid 10+ lakhs. You would be paying an instalment of around 30000, i am paying around 15000. we both have paid for our yearly insurance as well. Like us, there would be numerous customers who would be running from pillar to post to get their settlement done. It is really disgusting to see we being treated in this manner. Had this been some American country or European country, they would have paid the price. But in india, they would be comfortably sipping tea in their offices leaving helpless customers like us in lurch. Does anyone have a solution here?

[One:1]

Originally Posted by ithack

My car, a 2015 Volkswagen Jetta Highline 2.0AT had on 8:30 am Wednesday, 1st February 2017 caught fire when parked at my office in Cochin.

...........


I write this here today as a dismayed, disgruntled and distressed customer. The purpose of writing this is 'caveat emptor' i.e. let the buyer beware. Being one of the first Latin terms I was taught when I took up law, the same has always stuck with me. But today, it seems I wasn't aware enough.

Attachment 1608951

Attachment 1608952

Attachment 1608953

Attachment 1608954

*shudders run down my spine* As a loyal VW Jetta Fan, who swears by this product no matter what, to whomsoever it may be, i, am left dumbfounded!. I really sympathise for the trouble you must be going through, the dismay and heartbreak, for has a 1.5 year old Highline Jetta gone up in flames. luckily no one was hut in the incident . Eagerly waiting to see what VW does to a loyal customer, such as yourself. The images of the engine bay made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up straight! A 30lac repair bill? against a 26lac rupee car? i'd like to know what the dealer is smoking (though it may be possible).

P.S. From the attached images it definitely looks like a "Category B" write off!

Do keep us posted frequently. More details and images are welcome.

[ecenandu]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Please forgive me for playing the devil's advocate here, but...

In a case like this, should the company really be held responsible?

I think if there is some known design/manufacturing fault with the vehicle which caused the fire, yes definitely!

But in a case like this (1.5 year old car, no other reports of Jettas catching fire) it's very likely to be something else... (eg. rats eating the wiring causing a short circuit).

Should the company still be held liable? And, do VW promise loaner cars for Jetta owners during service or accidental repair?

I guess an investigation by the insurance company (or even VW) will make the cause of the fire somewhat clearer.

Absolutely Rehaan, as a responsible Bhpian we shouldn't jump to conclusion too fast. So far we have heard the story from the owner's perspective. We as a community should help him, incase the VW management/dealer treat his case unfairly. Catching fire is no joke and should be dealt with seriously. Whatever be the reason, here 'chaltha hai attitude' should not be applied.

The investigation should be a fair one and the owner should be kept in the loop.
Our demands should be reasonable and we as a community should lend all the support if other options for the owner are closed.

Originally Posted by su1978

Firstly the surveyor denied paying up for the bumper. Secondly Honda does not have tail gate assembly with them. Numerous frantic calls to the Honda connect number has not yielded any results. They simply refuse connecting me to anyone from Honda and redirect me to the dealer. The dealer has already ordered the parts but does not have any tentative date when the tail gate assembly would get delivered to them.

Is your bumper having damages prior to this accident? Sometimes they can deny the replacement citing that the damage happened from a different accident. How they conclude that is beyond me. If the dealer is having cashless tie-up with certain insurance provider it is always better to take insurance from them, even if it is expensive upfront. Otherwise, it will be a headache in time of need.

Since the Mobilio is sold less, we cannot expect the dealer to have all the necessary parts stocked up especially the panels. Tweeting and getting things done has become the norm nowadays, doesn't it highlight an underlying problem?

[vishy76]

I don't think we should arrive at conclusions so soon. The car was 1.5 years old and any manufacturing defects by Volkswagen should have been obvious by now. (Not that I am defending Volkswagen). I do agree that Volkswagen should have treated the customer better.

I think we should wait for the final verdict by the insurance company and consider all possible causes.

As an impartial community, it would be highly improffesional if we arrive at conclusions so soon. Yes, it could be Volkswagen's fault, but let's wait for the final verdict. This is what leads to false rumours eventually.

There have also been no other incidences of Jetta catching fire.

Regards,
Vishy76

[The Brutailer]

Originally Posted by vishy76

I don't think we should arrive at conclusions so soon. The car was 1.5 years old and any manufacturing defects by Volkswagen should have been obvious by now. (Not that I am defending Volkswagen). I do agree that Volkswagen should have treated the customer better.

I think we should wait for the final verdict by the insurance company and consider all possible causes.

As an impartial community, it would be highly improffesional if we arrive at conclusions so soon. Yes, it could be Volkswagen's fault, but let's wait for the final verdict. This is what leads to false rumours eventually.

There have also been no other incidences of Jetta catching fire.

Not true. Even a DSG box can fail anytime without any warning. So it's not necessary that problem will show in the initial days itself.

And as posted by other bhpians, Volkswagen cars are prone to catching fire.

So in this case as well, I'll be doubting Volkswagen itself.

[ToyotaFan]

Looks like am going against the tide but what are the possibilities of car catching fire with 5 minutes of it being parked. Assuming no aftermarket accessories have been put as is being said then what are the possibilities other than something inherent to the car manufacturing process.

As per the wire bite by rat what I have read in the forum is that in most cases it leads to a check engine alert and the car not starting and throwing random errors. As per short circuit I find it odd that a parked car can have such a big short circuit so as to burn the whole car. Maybe I am missing something here but would like some clarification. Just my thoughts.

P.S. I am not biased against VW in fact was considering the polo while buying jazz. In the hindsight it looks like a good decision.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

In a case like this, should the company really be held responsible?

Let me be the devil then Forget 1.5 year, forget stock car but...

1- For dealer actions companies should take ownership, atleast own it up! if not why give authorized title to such shops. Any kind of ownership into dealer actions is sadly missing from manufacturers in our country.

2- If i were a manufacturer, i would immediately look into the cause of fire and not take 15 sweet days, by which lot of stuff would have got messed up in the car thanks to the way we store such vehicles.

3- It is high time call or email based customer support is taken to task in this country and manufacturer are solely responsible for this. I have fair bit of experience with various manufacturers and all of them have been so useless, now i prefer to find other workable contacts within a company to seek attention to such matters.

But in a case like this (1.5 year old car, no other reports of Jettas catching fire) it's very likely to be something else... (eg. rats eating the wiring causing a short circuit).

Why are we assuming rats of all the things and forgetting that one off defects can also cause serious issues like fire? Warranty covers the individual car, it does not say a particular minimum number should fail for it to kick in. Does it?

Should the company still be held liable? And, do VW promise loaner cars for Jetta owners during service or accidental repair?

Absolutely NOT liable! especially if it is not written down anywhere. A heavily engaged brand "might" offer; as good will gesture at the best. This is not something i would care for if my 1.5 year old vehicle is burnt and in garage looking at a total loss bill.

guess an investigation by the insurance company (or even VW) will make the cause of the fire somewhat clearer.

VW may but insurance surveyors i doubt have the capability. Hope this finally doesn't turn out like "you put aftermarket replacement bulb and car burned down" type of verdict.

Originally Posted by madhavgpai

What exactly was done in the recall? Are you sure that there was no check engine light ON before parking? How long was your commute and can you remember any strong rubber burnt smell while getting out of the car?

Originally Posted by Epic

I assume this fire could have originated from a fuel leak or an electrical short circuit. You have mentioned that the car had visited the workshop for the recall a couple of months ago; could it be that there was some part not fitted well by the technician during that time which has led to this fire? .

Prima facie what triggered my attention was the recall part, would like to know what exactly was done.

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

Whats the source of this ? My Jetta was in the workshop for 5-6 days recently and i didnt get any offer of a loaner or reimbursement of travel bills. Some insurance policies do however offer add-on for travel reimbursement in case of car being in workshop.

Ya same here, we had multiple times given car and no offer of loaner was given. I don't think such courtesy are given or even possible to be offered in a country like India lol

[GTO]

Terribly sorry to see these pics, ithack. But what I am extremely happy about is that there was no one in the car at that time! We have seen cases where the car caught fire & its owner was trapped inside.

Until a proper forensic analysis is conducted, we won't know much about the cause of the fire. VW will surely conduct it, but whether they share the report with you or not is doubtful.

My first guess upon seeing your post was wiring damage from rodents. It's either that, or related to the many recalls VW has conducted internationally. However, because it happened in the morning (rats attack cars at night only), I think it's the former.

For a change, I think that VW has handled the matter well.

- The dealer took the car on the same day.

- 2 direct employees of VW India (not dealer) have arrived to inspect the car. That does show concern from the head office. It's moved a level higher than the dealer.

As a goodwill measure, it would be nice of them to offer you a courtesy car. Note: they aren't required to. I wouldn't complain if they didn't, at least not until the exact cause of the fire is known. FYI, refer to your insurance policy. You might have taken the add-on option & could be reimbursed for transport.

Do you have zero-dep insurance? I strongly recommend the same to all BHPians.

Originally Posted by ithack

It is also shocking that a VW premium car, which is not even two years old, would simply burst into flames when idle.

Sadly, every brand has suffered fires - from Maruti to Mercedes & everything in between. Shit happens. Again, I'm just relieved that no one was trapped inside this burning car.