Mahindra XUV700 fire: Carmaker alleges tampering of original wiring
The Mahindra XUV700 fire incident on the Jaipur national highway has been catching a lot of attention for the last two days. Kuldeep Singh, the owner of the fateful Mahindra flagship SUV, tweeted on 21st May 2023, with pictures and videos of his car, stating that it caught fire while driving on the Jaipur national highway. The owner claimed the six-month-old car didn't overheat, but some smoke started coming out of the engine bat while the car was on the move, and eventually, it erupted in fire. Responding to that, the homegrown auto manufacturer issued an official statement on May 22.
Mahindra, in its official statement posted on Twitter, has claimed that it has thoroughly investigated the matter and found that the original wiring of the affected SUV was tampered with to install aftermarket electrical accessories. The automaker stated that the tampered electrical wiring could have led to the fire. “Our field service team reached out to the customer and an investigation has been conducted. Our initial findings suggest that the factory-fitted/original wiring has been tampered with, to accommodate after-market electrical accessories, that could have led to the incident," reads the official statement from Mahindra issued after the investigation into the thermal incident involving the premium SUV.
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The car brand further stated that it is committed to ensuring that its SUVs meet the highest safety standards and to ensure that the company has advised the users not to modify their vehicles from non-authorised sources or put any external loads to the electrical circuits.
Installation of aftermarket accessories is a common practice among Indian car buyers. From electrical to aesthetic, vehicle owners often install aftermarket accessories from third-party vendors in order to reduce the purchase cost. However, while doing so, in many cases, the original OEM-fitted electrical wiring of the vehicles gets impacted, which not only makes the warranty void but increases the risk of thermal incidents as well.
