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Tata Safari XZA+: 5 issues i've faced within the 1st year of ownership

When I’m driving it, I absolutely enjoy it. But the big problem is I don’t know how reliable this car can be.

BHPian El_Profesor recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

1-year update.

I’ve had a mixed bag experience considering of highs and lows in my time with the safari.

I own a Safari XZA+ Automatic which was delivered to me on the 25th of June, 2021. I posted about my experience on the first day and how I had to visit the service centre to clear the engine check light warning.

I’ve completed 15,8xx km as of today and till now apart from the regular service visits, I’ve had to take my car in for other issues:

  1. DEF! This is a very inconvenient component. Even after making sure that I refill at the same authorised centre, they managed to spill it around the intake and caused white marks.
  2. Right around 4-5k km, there was a weird sound coming in from the rear, almost like a big tank of water moving around every time the road surface changed. I took the car to the service centre to check and they replaced the back left suspension under warranty. Surprising that something failed in less than 6 months.
  3. I had to claim insurance just in the month of May as I got into a minor accident with a biker at the roundabout who came from the wrong side. As the car was going in anyway, I asked if they could do the 12-month / 15,000 km service already. They didn’t seem to have an issue with it, odo read 13,6xx km. When I went to collect my car, the bumper wasn’t aligned, and the grey plastic cladding had some powder marks on it, as they hadn’t cleaned and polished it. The white seats were dirty even after I asked for plastic covers(which they charged me extra for). I was asked to wait as it was lunch time and the simple practice of collecting my car took 2 and a half hours purely because of negligence.
  4. 10 days ago, I was on my way back from Mahabaleshwar where I crossed the 15k km mark and the engine oil light started blinking. This was a little strange as the service was done, the car showed no issues in the drive but a warning light was causing discomfort. Got the oil checked, levels were okay so continued with the drive. I had to visit the infamous service centre again. This time the SA responded like it was a common thing, mentioning something along the lines of degeneration that needs to be done. Painful! Had to leave the car for an entire day as they didn’t have any laptops free.
  5. I’m typing this while facing the current issue. As I left the gym today, the drive was noisy! The most irritating screeching sound from all wheels was making every single person on the road turn around. It kept varying in intensity but it’s there on all 4 tyres! And guess what, I have to visit the service centre again!!!

If I were to be objective about this car, I like the car. The looks, the drive, the feel, it’s all there. When I’m driving it, I absolutely enjoy it. But the big problem is I don’t know how reliable this car can be. There have been plenty of small niggles of the car not starting, random warning honks, errors, infotainment errors(the worst part about this car) etc.

The after-sales service is definitely questionable. It feels like Tata hasn’t evolved from the Indica days, they don’t know how to deal with a customer who has paid 26L for a car. The service centre moves at their own pace and people just don’t want to do anything extra.

So, if you wish to buy a Safari, please make sure you know what you’re getting into. It’s a flawed product managed by incompetent people.

And if you already own a safari, I wish you luck and hope you don’t have to go through the pain.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

 
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