REPORT: Tata investigating as Nano owners report steering column fires
Tata Nano – Click above for high-res image gallery
If we weren't car guys, we could understand the attraction of a bare-bones car with a sticker price coming in at a fraction of a conventional car's. Heck, we still do. But we know as well as you do that in order to get the pricing that low, corners probably have to be cut somewhere. And when you're dealing with a metal cage in which you sit surrounded by glass, propelled by a controlled series of explosions and managed by a complex mess of wires and electronics, you don't want to be cutting corners.
So we can't say we're entirely surprised with news of early problems with the Tata Nano. The vehicle that's anticipated to mobilize India has been launched in its domestic market prior to being exported overseas, but three customers have already reported small fires spontaneously igniting inside the vehicle, causing the automaker to launch an investigation.
The problem reportedly stems from faulty wiring in the ignition switch that has, in these three cases reported so far, caused smoke and certain parts around the steering column to melt. Two of the customers have returned their Nanos to their respective dealerships, which have repaired the problem at no charge. One buyer, however, has yet to bring his car in for repairs and has lodged a complaint with law enforcement officials.
So far, Tata isn't issuing a recall notice, but it is conducting a "pre-delivery audit" of the car's electrical systems for those still in their possession and offering to inspect those units it has already sold.
Gallery: Tata Nano
[Source: The Times of India]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Shamdiddly 11:05AM (10/26/2009)
Perhaps buying leftover TI parts from Ford's? ; )
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Tankk 11:15AM (10/26/2009)
Just continuing the good Indian tradion of being burnt upon death.
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cruiseoveride 11:18AM (10/26/2009)
"...has lodged a complaint with law enforcement officials"
Talk about the spread of American culture.
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Arkz 11:19AM (10/26/2009)
For some reason, I find the idea of driving around and having the dashboard suddenly burst into flames really, really funny.
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akboss302 11:38AM (10/26/2009)
+1! lol...
Coolio 1:21PM (10/26/2009)
...while thinking, "I shouda got the 'delux' model"
Brian05SEL 11:22AM (10/26/2009)
More likely that they outsourced production of the car's electronics to TI... oh, wait.
:D
The irony is strong with this one.
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Luis 11:22AM (10/26/2009)
Hmm...$75k Jaguars with electrical bugs. $25k Camrys with floor mat issues. $2.5k microcars with 3 fires on a new model. Nothing really surprising, all cars have issues and at least Tata is taking the initiative to work on a solution.
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Avinash machado 11:23AM (10/26/2009)
A really hot car!
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Aznauto 11:31AM (10/26/2009)
Better built than Big 3 cars, just take look at the new Camaro and all the quality problems GM has had.
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Patrick 11:33AM (10/26/2009)
The fire is just the built-in heater doing its job. Although, I don't know when you would ever need a heater in India.
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ashwinaj 11:39AM (10/26/2009)
Well all of us who work in the hi-tech industries know that issues come up in the real world which can never be simulated...so this really isn't such a big deal. It isn't as if the car is blowing up and killing a bunch of people
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Willute 8:25PM (10/26/2009)
I work in the hi tech industry. In the high tech industry we have our little mottos like "If it's burning, that's a bad thing" and "Don't let the magic smoke out". And my favorite "If you've routed the primary circuit through the control wiring, and the ampacity of said circuit can't handle the juice, that bitch'll fry".
But your right, not a problem, haven't killed anybody. Yet.
SachinLF-A 11:53AM (10/26/2009)
@ashwinaj.....This issue should have been taken care of during testing.......this is unacceptable by Tata. And what exactly does a fire mean to you?? Just to refreshen up your mind.....a fire is combustable and can cause harm. I would NEVER drive a car that has such a problem like the Tata Nano.
And I guess Tata Nanos are truly too hot to handle!!!
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ashwinaj 2:02PM (10/26/2009)
Fire means the whole car blowing up...and it's only 3 cars out of thousands sold so far.
gbgcarguy 12:05PM (10/26/2009)
I cannot wait until there is a TATA dealer in the US.
I want to be the first to walk in and announce:
"Excuxe me but I would like to see your TATA'S!!"
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Brian05SEL 7:25PM (10/26/2009)
Best comment of the day! I lol'd.
zanenats 2:03PM (10/29/2009)
flip em.
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planetautomatic 12:37PM (10/26/2009)
Big deal.All car manufactures have teething issues. Out of 8000 cars 3 had minor issues.
Heck even ford like others ahs issues.
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-business/ford-defective-switch-forces-recall-20091014-gvxm.html
Ford Motor Co says it will add 4.5 million older-model vehicles to the list of those recalled because a defective cruise control switch could cause a fire.
Its all part of the business.
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Howard H. 1:51PM (10/26/2009)
It sounds like an easy problem to fix. New products not just cars tend to have problems.
Look at microsoft. They had so many problems with windows vista. They are replacing it with windows 7. I think that the Tata is a good idea. I would like the US cars industry to make something for the domestic market that is a basic car. It would need to be bigger and with some more power. They have everthing they need to do just that. Instead every time they redesign a model they make it bigger and heavier.
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