[Akash.D]

It is really very frustrating for someone who spends over 20 lakhs on a car and gets a lemon. Especially not acceptable when the concerned car is the flagship product and is expected to represent the brand as a whole. Flagship products should be subjected to extensive QC before handing over to the unsuspecting end user. The concept of using the first few buyers as beta testers should be abolished immediately.

Now coming to this car, the owner should not have accepted the car when it had problems on the delivery day itself. A proper PDI as per tbhp checklist would have saved his day.

The Dealer is also to be blamed for ignoring proper PDI procedure and delivering a lemon to the customer. Tata ASS is really pathetic and manages to harass owners of perfectly normal cars. So taking a lemon home and relying on ASS is a blunder. I am a owner of a Tiago XZ+ BS6 and I am fed up with the ASS. Once, I got a call for an ECU update and I also asked the SA to also fix an issue with Android auto. When I reached to take back the car, the SA told me that there was no usb cable and so they could not fix the issue. He also told me that the android auto will work only with the original cable that comes with the phone. Even if you have a replacement cable from the same phone OEM, it won't work . I asked him to explain me why it is so but he couldn't. All the SA told me was to give 10 star rating when I get a call for feedback from Tata Motors. Imagine the audacity of those clowns to ask for 10 stars without even fixing my issue. They would call me during office hours after every service and ask me to give 10 stars during feedback call. In short, Tata Motors being a big company provides too much job security to their employees which is reflected in their callous attitude towards the customers.

Tata motors have a tough task ahead and they can survive only if they improve their service experience and achieve higher QC levels.

[giri1.8]

Couldn't help myself from posting this screen shot from their misleading ad. Of the 5 models shown, only two have 5 star rating, two of them have 4 stars and Harrier hasn't even been tested, yet look at those nice 5 stars in the background and "Indian's safest cars" tag to mislead people.

[AYP]

This might be slightly off topic-

I have been avoiding Chinese brands for almost my entire conscious life. This is due to the fact that 'China' as a word generally invokes negative emotion inside me. And we all do whatever it takes to make our life easier, don't we.

However, I am open to buying a Chinese product if it offers immense value or is genuinely heads and shoulders above an equivalent product for the same/similar price.

For example, I picked up the 70mai pro dash cam because an equivalent quality non-Chinese dashcam would have costed 2-3 times more.

Applying the same logic to the D-1 segment SUVs, if waiting for the XUV 700 is not an option, I'd happily pick the Hector over the Safari due to the constant and never ending niggles which continue to plague the Safari and the Harrier(the current XUV 500 is too long in the tooth).

Yes, I may be branded as 'gaddar', 'deshdrohi' and 'anti-nationalist' by the honourable judges of the Supreme Court of Facebook of India, but as long as my car is running fine and I am not imprisoned due to these allegations, I'd happily drive around in my Chinese car.

[RJK]

Originally Posted by kiku007

Why does TATA deliver such a malfunctioning product to its valuable customers?

May be because customers take delivery of a car that couldn't even be started on Day-1.

When the valuable customers can be so forgiving why bother?

Who in their right mind would take delivery of a car that wouldn't even start? The car should have gone to the workshop and not the temple.

Bang on! Customers need to be a little less forgiving while taking delivery of the car. The fact that car needed to be jump started itself should have sent alarm bells ringing. I would have refused signing any sort of paper work if I saw this happening to my brand new car & would've walked away from the specific car & the dealership.

Originally Posted by PrideRed

After paying full amount, registering car in your name, buying insurance, accessories, will be really difficult to convince showroom for replacement. Showroom will wash off hands and will say take it or leave it, afterall they have nothing to loose unless Tata intervenes.

Shooting a video of the car being jumped followed by Not taking delivery & subsequent sharing of the videos / information with TATA would not let the dealer go scot free, I feel. Someone with law background should opine whether the liability is off the dealer in such a scenario if the delivery is refused on count of problems during delivery itself.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by kushagra452

Safari, Harrier are competent world class products made by an Indian company.

World class product developed by world class engineers but made by a not so world class production, QC and maintained by a not so world class after sales team either. And this isnt a one off incident. Scroll through a Tata thread and then scroll through a Maruti/Toyota or to some extent even a VW thread(barring for the initial DSG issues). You will hardly find major issues and ones which will leave you stranded. People have been telling Tata have come a long way, we should appreciate their growth and so, and the same people have been generous enough to plonk 20L of their money on a Tata product. I have had issues in my Maruti vehicles. But none of them have let me down waiting for a tow truck, nor on any day have I started my car with a worry of it not starting.

Originally Posted by GTO

How could they mess up the build, quality, software, electricals & ICE so much? It's like the kid who was given a special pass to do just 30% of his homework, but still couldn't do a satisfactory job.

If a brand new car has such issues, I shudder to think of how these poorly built cars are going to age once they have 50,000 - 100,000 km on the odometer.

Both are valid thoughts to be pondered about. Like I mentioned earlier, you cant ramp up the tech in the car without ramping up the competence of the whole ecosystem. The product development will be done in the UK with the help of JLR and they would max out their spec sheets like how we see in many mobile phones and then hand over the final drawings, electronics, software to various teams internally and to suppliers. After that is where things go wrong. Being in the industry myself, I can claim that developing a new concept or product is one thing, and getting it to series production and ensuring its readiness to the market is a different deal altogether. That would apply all over the place right from the body in white till software. Thats why we see various issues right from misaligned body panels till buggy electronics and software.

Coming to the other aspect, if I ever make my mind to buy a Tata, I would do so only after knowing how these cars age. At least until the Nexon, I dont see a positive trend. One of my colleague brought a Nexon last year before the lockdown and he is already tired of the ASC though he hardly used the car. In between there have been one breakdown, replacement of many parts under warranty and repeated visits to the service center. The best way to compare the progress of Tata/Mahindra in the longrun is to see a 1L km car with any other competitor with the same mileage. That would really show if they have come a long way, or they are still a long way from building good cars that last.

Originally Posted by AYP

I have been avoiding Chinese brands for almost my entire conscious life. This is due to the fact that 'China' as a word generally invokes negative emotion inside me. And we all do whatever it takes to make our life easier, don't we.

Yes, I may be branded as 'gaddar', 'deshdrohi' and 'anti-nationalist' by the honourable judges of the Supreme Court of Facebook of India, but as long as my car is running fine and I am not imprisoned due to these allegations, I'd happily drive around in my Chinese car.

This has been a trend lately. What they dont realise is that people who have trouble free brands have been happily driving around, and dont care about what social media has to say Especially on Youtube I see a lot of counter reaction whenever someone complains about a Tata. But if your MG Hector or a Jeep compass with the same engine and similar segment can run trouble free, then at least that would make the money invested in it worth the pain rather than having to run around pillar to post getting things resolved.

Originally Posted by RJK

Shooting a video of the car being jumped followed by Not taking delivery & subsequent sharing of the videos / information with TATA would not let the dealer go scot free, I feel. Someone with law background should opine whether the liability is off the dealer in such a scenario if the delivery is refused on count of problems during delivery itself.

Question is, should someone really do all this after paying a big sum of money on a car? If so then Tata should introduce 30 day return policy like Amazon does. If you dont like the product, you are free to return it without any loss of money. Thats at least a fair deal. Why pay money, and then end up with a lemon and fight for justice by investing more money.

[AirbusCapt]

I think this issue speaks of the sheer incompetence of the Tata motors service personnel. When the car says "key not detected", all you have to do is re-pair the key with the car. In the landrover family one needs to physically hold the key close to the receptor near the roof and the key pairs again. Tata Safari too would have a similar mechanism to get the key paired.
Had this been done before changing the batteries, opening up a new car and fidgeting with its internals, may be the problem would have been solved.
Showroom staff must know better than this!

[ram87pune]

Originally Posted by giri1.8

Couldn't help myself from posting this screen shot from their misleading ad. Of the 5 models shown, only two have 5 star rating, two of them have 4 stars and Harrier hasn't even been tested, yet look at those nice 5 stars in the background and "Indian's safest cars" tag to mislead people.

Dear giri,

This is partially true as Tata's entire product portfolio's safety ratings are as follows

Tiago/Tigor - 4 Stars
Altroz - 5 stars
Nexon - Untested as of now since it has lost its 5 star privilege with the facelift
Nexon EV - Untested
Harrier/Safari - 2 stars as I have already mentioned elsewhere.

So looking at this picture I seriously think Tata should stop fooling the aam junta with "safest cars in India" tag or just get their flagship twin SUVs tested at the NCAP.

Now looking at Mahindra's current as well as future lineup

XUV300 - 5 stars
All new Scorpio - Atleast 4 stars
Thar - 4 stars
Marazzo - 4 stars
All new XUV500 - 5 stars expected

So basically within a few months time we can expect a role reversal as far as the maker of India's safest cars is concerned.

[Varun_HexaGuy]

Originally Posted by viXit

Expected you to share the downhill brake error ordeal.

I'm glad I got the first and last sorted car from Tata. I thought harrier is a good replacement but everything turned around the minute I started driving it.

As much as I praise my storme., I abuse TASS and the New TATA

I will. Once due diligence is done before calling out. Can't come unarmed and caught off-guard. Don't even think of remotely anything from a Tata as a replacement for your Storme. They don't deserve our years of hard earned savings. Something as expensive as this is an aspiration for a middle class and upper middle class families like ours and companies like these treat us to shit like these.

Originally Posted by GTO

Just thinking aloud why Tata is unable to solve the Harrier / Safari niggles. I would've thought it's so easy after 2+ decades of building cars and outsourcing so very much! Hell, the engine is from FCA, the AT gearbox is from Hyundai, the platform was borrowed from Land Rover...in my opinion, Tata had it so much easier when such major + critical components are ready for use.

How could they mess up the build, quality, software, electricals & ICE so much? It's like the kid who was given a special pass to do just 30% of his homework, but still couldn't do a satisfactory job.

If a brand new car has such issues, I shudder to think of how these poorly built cars are going to age once they have 50,000 - 100,000 km on the odometer.

Screams of incompetence to me from the company. I have a Tata currently and after 4-years and not even 35k kms on the odo, repenting my decision of splurging my father's hard earned money on a car like this. Since day-1, I've been brushing it off as "niggles will come your way, it's a machine afterall". After what my father has experienced yesterday with our car, I can't trust my car anymore. Putting the user of the vehicle at risk. But at what cost? Lousy QC standards for a part or substandard quality for a crucial part which is integral in proper functioning of a vehicle.

I've never hoped for more. After paying 22-lacs, if I'm not even given a car which is sorted fundamentally, then I don't even know what to say. I've been ignoring almost everything off-late. But what happened yesterday isn't something I can turn a blind eye to.

[ZenMaster]

Originally Posted by GTO

How could they mess up the build, quality, software, electricals & ICE so much? It's like the kid who was given a special pass to do just 30% of his homework, but still couldn't do a satisfactory job.
.

All this, when the parent company/trust owns one of the biggest software development companies in the world, doing projects for the biggest OEMs accross the planet
and have access to the best consultants all over the world.

It just shows a lack of will from one section/side of the Tata Motors firm. While the design divisions have stepped up their game and improved leaps and bounds, the QA and testing divisons still seems to be sailing lazily just like they used to with the same old Govt. Office attitude.

[07CR]

Originally Posted by Varun_HexaGuy

But what happened yesterday isn't something I can turn a blind eye to.

I hope everyone is safe in your family. Just out of curiosity, can you share what you went through, or atleast point me to it, if you have already shared it in a thread?

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by RJK

Shooting a video of the car being jumped followed by Not taking delivery & subsequent sharing of the videos / information with TATA would not let the dealer go scot free, I feel. Someone with law background should opine whether the liability is off the dealer in such a scenario if the delivery is refused on count of problems during delivery itself.

So what is stopping Tata from doing that now? They now have lot more reason to replace this lemon. Had it been just not starting, Forget dealer I am sure Tata would hush up and push the the piece to customer saying minor hiccup. Once you pay all the money and get car registered to your name and car turns out lemon you are inviting trouble, no matter what.

[TaurusAl]

Originally Posted by AMG Power

Be Indian, Buy Indian the faux patriots said,

Mahindra or Tata, help Indians earn their bread,

But very often, the warning lights glow red and the car is dead,

And suddenly you don’t see any patriots around as they’re busy hiding their head.

Though I really loved your creativity I beg to defer here and talking about customer care alone, it may not be right to name Mahindra along with Tata in same breath.

Been using Mahindra since more than a decade, 2 different cars. Not saying their cars are totally niggle free but their service is outstanding. Every problem I have come across has been closed to the last detail. This I am comparing with Maruti and the Hyundai I have owned in the past.

Tata on the other hand has really a horrible A.S.S. I have a first hand experience with a friend's old safari. According to him not even once the car has come out of the garage and the reported problem was solved in the first go. Their mechanics are just not trained well and neither the company values their customers.

[TROOPER]

No amount of words can convey how I feel for the owner of this Safari. Our initial experience with the Hexa wasn’t cake walk either.

I have said this earlier too. Tata should keep a one or two week post delivery service interval. Their QC is simply pathetic.

During my hassles, on trying to reach the company higher ups, they conveniently pushed the dealer in front, repeatedly saying “Dealer represents Tata Motors”. Agreed, but only if a repair or service job goes south. Not if the car is a lemon on day 1. How can I hold a dealer accountable in this scenario?

In my personal experience, dealers/service advisors want to do a good/satisfactory job. But Tata keeps churning out lemons like anything and the brunt is faced by the dealers.

I don’t think I know one single Hexa owner who hasn’t had a warranty claim. And no, I’m not talking about simple plastic stuff falling off. I’m talking about claims which could put a dent of anything north of 20k on your pockets. Imagine, if such is the case with Hexa, which is considered to be among the “reliable” cars Tata produced, the thought of owning a Harrier/Safari sends a shiver down my spine.

If I were a Tata dealer, I would just keep a QC guy who would be well paid to sniff out all the niggles Tata sends as complimentary. And deliver the car a couple of days after receiving it. It would be a worthy investment IMO. Would keep my customers happy.

Seriously, if one can’t get a government job, just try getting one at Tata Motors. The QC Department would be ideal. One could be grossly incompetent and still have job security.

[car_guy1998]

Sad to see the brand new Safari is plagued with these issues! We were considering the Safari/Harrier as the replacement for our Innova, but after seeing these issues, I think I should look elsewhere!

Also, I don't want to make my dad splurge 25L on a Tata vehicle and deal with these shoddy and incompetent Tata service centers whenever the car is plagued with niggles and issues!

One thing which Tata should work on in order to become the no.1 car manufacturer in the future is to improve the QC along with improving the after-sales and service experience as well!

[AZT]

We are being too harsh on the owner asking why he took delivery. I'm sure the service center guys told him the issue is resolved and also sent a follow car to the temple in case of emergency, so from the owners point of view that's some assurance. Also with family and kids there it becomes an emotional decision.

Regarding the product, we have a bunch of satisfied Tiago, Tigor and Nexon owners so this isn't a Tata problem as much as it's a Harrier problem. Either Tata is unable to make premium cars or to keep the pricing competitive they cut corners, and this is what we get.

Originally Posted by ram87pune

This is partially true as Tata's entire product portfolio's safety ratings are as follows

Tiago/Tigor - 4 Stars
Altroz - 5 stars
Nexon - Untested as of now since it has lost its 5 star privilege with the facelift
Nexon EV - Untested
Harrier/Safari - 2 stars as I have already mentioned elsewhere.

So looking at this picture I seriously think Tata should stop fooling the aam junta with "safest cars in India" tag or just get their flagship twin SUVs tested at the NCAP.

@Ram I remember your post a while back where you had mentioned engine placement issue is the reason Harrier is not being sent for testing. Can you also post the 2 star comment link, I don't remember the guys name but some poster was arguing with me saying we should assume all Tata cars to be 4 Star and refused to believe otherwise. From the above we can safely say only 3/7 tested safe so how people assume anything is beyond me.