XUV700 fire: Mahindra investigation report explains what went wrong

Mahindra and Mahindra has issued its investigation report on the XUV700 SUV fire incident on Jaipur highway. The carmaker has concluded unauthorised after-market accessories led to the incident in which the SUV was burned earlier this week. A statement issued by Mahindra and Mahindra today points at after-market wiring fiddled with the SUV's original electrical wiring which led to the thermal incident. The owner of the SUV and his family had escaped any injury in the incident which took place on May 21.

The updated statement issued by Mahindra and Mahindra this morning says, “Investigators have recorded evidence of the user having fitted after-market illuminated scuff plates and four ambient lighting modules by tampering with the original wiring of the vehicle. The additional wiring connections which are not originally engineered have been connected to existing electrical points causing the thermal incident." Mahindra and Mahindra has informed the owner of the XUV700 SUV on its findings through an email.

On Sunday, the XUV700 owner was travelling with his family on Jaipur highway. He had bought the SUV only six months ago. According to the owner, smoke started coming out of the engine despite the vitals of the SUV showed it did not overheat. The SUV eventually erupted in fire while it was on the move.

The incident shows how unauthorised after-market accessories can lead to such accidents. Mahindra has sounded a caution to its customers to prevent similar incidents in future. It said, "We advise users not to modify their vehicles from non-authorised sources or add external loads to electrical circuits."

Installing after-market accessories is a common among Indian car owners. From aesthetic to electrical, vehicle owners often install such add-ons from third-party vendors in order to reduce the cost of authorised accessories which are usually higher. 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.

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