How Does Mahindra Harass Its Customers And Compromise On Its Quality Standards?

Burning EV vehicles is not a new case from last year. However, the burning of petrol and diesel vehicles has also been seen recently. Moreover, companies not taking accountability for their vehicles is a serious threat emerging nowadays.

One such incident was reported from Haryana recently: a one-month-old THAR caught fire, and neither the manufacturing company ‘Mahindra’ nor the insurer was ready to pay for the customer’s loss.

A YouTuber named Prateek Singh shared the video on his YouTube account. In this video, the vlogger claims that Mr Vinod Kumar, the owner, purchased this car on December 15, 2023. He drove the automobile for about 700 kilometres before taking it to the dealership for the first service. While leaving the automobile, he told the crew that he had noticed a burnt smell within the cabin anytime he stopped after driving for more than 50-60 kilometres.

Even after receiving a complaint of a burning smell, which can be critical, the personnel at the delivery centre closed the job card within 3 minutes. The owner was also told that the burning smell is very common in brand-new cars and that there is nothing to worry about.

The service centre noted this, and when he returned to pick up his car, they informed him that the problem had been fixed and that there was nothing to be concerned about, as such a smell is common in new vehicles. The owner believed the technician’s word and took the car. He raised the same difficulties several times, and the reaction was the same.

After a gap of few days, the owner went to a function with his family, which is 60-70 kms distant from his home. After some time that he parked the car, he got the news that his newly purchase Thar has got fire, and before he could do anything, the vehicle was completely destroyed.

After the car caught fire, the owner contacted both his insurance company and the dealer. The insurance company sent an executive to investigate the scene and the vehicle and suggested the owner contact the dealer since the car caught fire due to a manufacturing problem.

In addition, they discovered that the SUV had an aftermarket rear parking camera installed. The insurance company stated that they were denying the claim because they discovered an external fitment in the car. The insurance company is not wrong to reject the claim. The owner states that he installed the camera at the dealership; however, the parts used were not OEM. On these grounds, the insurance company declined the claim.

The owner then took the situation to the dealer, who was first reluctant to reply. When the dealer shared the same on social media, they acted and took the automobile to inspect it. After the inspection, they reported that the car had no manufacturing defects and that an external source caused the fire.

It’s been two months since the accident took place. Neither the insurance company nor the dealer is ready to pay the loss the customer acquired. It reminds me of the movie ‘Oh My God’ where both the parties are just pointing fingers at each other, but no one is ready to help the customer.

What was the cause of the accident, as per the recent data? Who is to be held accountable for acknowledging the customer’s grievances?

Recently, the insurance company again investigated the burnt vehicle with more experts, and this report discloses some shocking facts.

The report mentions that the personnel(s) at the Authorised Service Centre did not pay attention to the burning smell and mentioned that such a smell is common in new cars. However, as per the report, such kind of smell in new cars after driving 60-70 kms is not common. Hence, this paves the way for some kind of manufacturing problem to arise.

This was something that the dealer cancelled after an initial investigation by the dealer’s team. The report clearly mentions that the burning smell was an effect of some electrical/manufacturing problem that was present in the vehicle even before its delivery, which is a clear case of fraud.

Also, since the vehicle was under manufacturer’s warranty, it is the duty of the dealer to take the cognizance of the incident that occured. Neglecting such an incident by the dealer is a signal that how companies are just busy on selling their vehicles and have no accountability towards the after sales and service.

The question raises that why the dealer is not taking responsibility of the damage that the vehicle incurred despite the fact that the vehicle is under manufacturer’s warranty. Moreover, the burning smell, if taken care at the required time, could have stopped the accident to happen. So isn’t this a fault at the dealer’s end and the negligence of Authorised Service Centre, which comes in direct contact with the company ‘Mahindra and Mahindra’? This emerges as a clear case of customer harassment.

In yet another incident, Mahindra and Mahindra were under the scanner for allegedly providing “false assurances” regarding the safety of a car. The case is filed by a person from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. He bought a Scorpio car from a company that lacked airbags, and his son died tragically in a car accident. The complaint, Rajesh Mishra, accused the company of deceptive activities, arguing that if the car had been adequately inspected, his son’s death might have been avoided. 

In yet another incident, Inventiva reported another dubious attitude of the company ‘Mahindra and Mahindra’ for their gigantic delays in delivering the vehicles, signalling how the company exploits the customers.

In these cases, the company’s refusal to take accountability is a sign of deception towards the customer. This lack of quality is one of the reasons why Indian customers are, to date, very inclined towards foreign companies for the purchase of vehicles. 

How did the company react to such incidents?

It is worth noting that the Mahindra Thar’s popularity extends to the aftermarket. Multiple vehicle owners would like a new aftermarket grille, headlight, wheels, and other accessories fitted into their vehicles. Suppose these aftermarket accessories are installed from outside, and the vehicle catches fire. In that case, the company immediately launches press releases and loudly mentions that the installation of aftermarket equipment from outside the market has led to the accident, and the company is not responsible for it, thus hiding the manufacturing defects.

But in this case, neither the company has launched any official statement, nor has the company’s owner, Mr Anand Mahindra, who remains active on X, tweeted their reply to the incident. The question arises: How did the company ignore such an incident, which has resulted in the loss of property and could have resulted in the loss of lives? Isn’t this harassment of the customers who have invested in purchasing the vehicle?

Was there something wrong on the customer’s end as well?

Though the customer is the one who has suffered the loss, yet there are few things that customers should know so that they could use their insurance policies to get the claim.

In this case, the customer fitted external equipment in the vehicle and has not escalated the same changes to the Insurance company, violating policy rules and regulations. As a customer, one must tell the insurance company about the external fittings if done after taking the policy. Though in this case, to date, the report says that the vehicle caught fire because of a manufacturing defect, there are chances that if the vehicle caught fire for some other reason, the insurance company could have rejected the claim on the pretext that they were not taken in the loop of the external altercation done in the vehicle.

Secondly, external equipment should be added very cautiously. The Mahindra Thar, famed for its tough design and off-road capabilities, does not normally come standard with a rearview camera, but it is available as an extra feature in some model levels. The Mahindra Thar’s prominence in the aftermarket sector means that many owners choose to install aftermarket grilles, headlamps, wheels, and other accessories. However, aftermarket modifications frequently fail to satisfy the quality criteria of the brand’s official accessories, which can lead to issues like the one seen in this occurrence.

It’s worth noting that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) rigorously test their goods to ensure they satisfy safety and quality standards, which reduces the incidence of mechanical failure-related accidents. However, in this particular instance, the owner acknowledged that while the dealer installed the rear camera, the parts used were not OEM. 

However, neither of the cases mentioned above has been the reason for the burning of the vehicle to date. However, customers need to be vigilant about the details of their vehicles to avoid problems they may encounter if the vehicle witnesses any disaster. 

The bottom line. 

The insurance company has made it clear that they will not pay because the vehicle caught fire due to a manufacturing/electrical issue not covered under their policy. Now, the vehicle’s maker, Mahindra and Mahindra, must find him a remedy, as the customer is left with nothing but a completely burned-out car that he paid for. The majority of consumers purchase these vehicles on instalment plans. If that’s the case, the consumer is now paying EMIs for a car that no longer exists or that he can drive.

We sincerely hope that the manufacturer, the Mahindra and Mahindra will soon provide a solution to this problem. We believe the problem would not have occurred if the service centre had thoroughly investigated the automobile after the customer reported a burning smell. So Mahindra and Mahindra must take this case and save the customer from unnecessary harassment.