Tata Motors reacts to Safari SUV fire incident. Here's what it found

Tata Motors has revealed its investigation report on the Safari SUV that caught fire in Punjab's Ludhiana recently. The SUV can be seen up in flames in a video that went viral on social media. The video shows that the engine bay and the front section of the Safari SUV engulfed in fire as people around try to douse it. With no aftermarket alterations done to the SUV, questions were raised how the parked SUV could have possibly caught fire. The report by Tata Motors explains why it is important to also check the surroundings of a vehicle when parking.

The incident took place in Ludhiana last week. They gray Safari SUV was partially damaged in the fire at a parking lot of a housing society. The owner of the SUV, while raising the issue, said, “I was owning this Tata Safari top end variant, all through serviced and maintained by Authorised Tata dealer only, caught fire while it was parked." He also said that the SUV did not have any aftermarket modification, which is one of the biggest reasons for such fire.

Tata Motors conducted an inquiry into the incident and pointed out that there was no issue with the SUV, quelling any rumours about the safety of Safari. The carmaker pointed out unsafe parking conditions to be the cause of fire. Tata Motors issued a statement that read, “As per the concluded investigation, the presence of accumulated dry leaves and paper cups on the underbody engine guard near the hot silencer assembly have been identified as the cause of the incident. The team is in touch with the customer to provide the best possible solution."

The incident shows why parking a vehicle safely is important to avoid such accidents. In India, where car and two-wheeler owners are often forced to park in the open under the sun, avoiding heating and other such scenarios become a difficult ask. However, keeping flammable objects around the car or two-wheeler is avoidable to keep vehicles safe.

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Tata Motors offers Safari SUV at a starting price of ₹15.85 lakh (ex-showroom). The three-row SUV rivals the likes of Mahindra XUV700 and Hyundai Alcazar among others. The Safari is currently available with only diesel engine options. However, Tata Motors is expected to offer petrol engines too in the upcoming facelift version. The current 2.0-litre diesel engine under the hood, sourced from Fiat, comes mated to either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed torque converter automatic transmission. The engine is capable of churning out 168 bhp of maximum power at 3,750 rpm and a peak torque output of 350 Nm at 1,750-2,500 rpm.

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