[Resolved]  Maruti Suzuki / Swift ZXi — Maruti Suzuki Swift caches FIRE

Maruti Swift Zxi vehicle (Owned by my father) caught fire while parked and locked at our residence at Kothamangalam (near Kochi, Kerala) on 9th November 2008. The incident happened in the evening at around 8:15 p.m. To our utter shock and disbelief, the engine compartment was engulfed in fire for about 15 minutes before we somehow managed to put out the fire. The engine compartment, the hood, the fender, bumper and even the tyres have melted on extreme temperatures. The front windshield also cracked under the heat. Thankfully, we were not using the vehicle when this incident occurred and no one was injured!

Even though we have heard about cars catching fire, this was a total shock for us and not expected from a product manufactured by a trusted and well known company like Maruti Suzuki. We have been a loyal customer of Maruti for the last 17 yrs. We owned a Maruti Omni for 14 yrs before buying this Swift in July 2005.

As soon as the incident occurred on Sunday[protected] the following were done -

1. We had contacted Popular Services.
2. Also called Maruti's Toll Free[protected] number who directed to us to the nearest service center - Indus Motors, Muvatupuzha (Ernakulam Dist.)
3. On[protected], Service Engineer from Popular, Kothamangalam visited our home.
4. At 9:30 AM on[protected], A.S.I of Police, Kothamangalam visited our home (site) and issued the GD form.
5. At 11:30 AM on[protected], surveyor from insurance company visited the site.
6. At 5:30 PM, the vehicle was towed to Popular Services.
Currently the car is at the service center of POPULAR VEHICLES SERVICES LTD, Cochin.

Name, location and code of the Maruti service center:

POPULAR VEHICLES & SERVICES LTD.
NEAR LISI HOSPITAL
OPP. IMA BLOOD BANK
COCHIN
Maruti Dealer Code: 2701-04

We had raised a complaint with Maruti and requested for a contact person to discuss the issues. We were given a tracking number and were directed to the Regional Office, Cochin.

Yesterday[protected] my father met Mr. Balaji, Territory Manager at Regional Office, Cochin. His approach was much worse. On asking about cause of the fire, his only answer was there are no manufacturing defects. He didn't give a proper explanation for the cause. My father felt he was suspecting we had intentionally burnt the car.

Despite following up on each and every step, the insurance company (National Insurance) is raising issues on the veracity of the claim. They are saying the claim form was not collected within the stipulated time and giving other silly reasons for delaying the progress of claim. No one from Popular/ Maruti / National Insurance Company has been proactive in telling us about the procedure for closing out the issue.

The car catching fire itself was a big shock. Now the attitude and approach from service center, Maruti, and the Insurance Company are not at all satisfactory.

The car is under extended warranty and is a well maintained vehicle. Also services were done on time and done at Maruti Authorized Service centers. The majority of the services were done at POPULAR VEHICLES SERVICES LTD, Cochin. This is a fact agreed by the Territory manager.

We are totally shocked by this incident and our confidence in Maruti is lost forever.

We would greatly appreciate if any one can direct us to a proper contact who can help us find the root cause of the issue, and get this matter resolved.