[celestine]

Originally Posted by sln

My experience with buying Tata Safari car has been unbearably painful and of loss.

I am going through a similar ordeal. Jan 22 I reported a DEF system fault issue with continuous beep (prior to this, it went through the second free service). They said it is something to do with the DEF system completely and they have to order full parts to check and it will be covered under warranty. I was wondering how this soon a serious problem could arise. After 5 days or so, parts arrived they disassembled the parts to fit this new DEF system (tank and ECU) and they discovered there is rat bite (I am not sure if it happened at my parking at at their workshop. I do not have a way to validate ).

Now they have to order the full harness and locked the insurance claim. Because of whatever missed procedural steps to identify the root cause of the problem the car is still in the workshop and with repeated pushed out delivery commitment. At last, they have committed everything will conclude on Feb 15. I have my doubts so I am going to be stationed at the workshop this morning to actually see the status of progress towards commitment.
This has happened to my Tata Safari XZA+O with Lakshmi Tata service center Thoraipakkam, Chennai.


Note from Support: Please don't quote large posts entirely. Thanks!

[Palio_2005]

@Sln - what you should insist is for a new car. No matter how good the dealer, the fit and finish will never be like it was done at the plant.

Be sure to make a huge hue and cry about this in social media. Don't bother with the auto magazines as they are biased.

[Contrapunto]

Every few years when I am tempted to buy a new Tata Motors car, my wife reminds me of our poor Indica ownership experience. Last time, I was seriously tempted to buy the Safari. I decided to make a "mystery shopping" visit to the nearest ASS to disprove my bias. However, the bias just got re-affirmed. The ASS looked as grubby, chaotic and with a fair number of angry and cursing customers. That made up my mind to stay away from Tata Motors "for the next time".

Please continue to raising a hue and cry- and don't give up till you are satisfied.

[amtak]

I do not have much to add here other than echoing the thoughts of other bhpians; Yes, you should ask for a brand new car.

@mods: Please change the thread name from "My brand-new Tata Safari has been fully disassembled within 2 days of delivery!"

to

"My brand-new Tata Safari has been fully destroyed within 2 days of delivery!"

[Vikalp]

This is disheartening. Do not settle for anything less than a brand new car.
I hope someone from higher ups in Tata management just take a note of this.

[Rajith]

I have a TATA Safari Storme which has clocked above 3Lac kms as on date.
My service bills has crossed 28Lac rs till date with issues like a can of worms still in hand.
You give for one problem to asc he will return the car with 3 more issues free of cost in 2-3 weeks after multiple calls and visits !.

I have tried all major ASCs in bangalore. One ASC damaged the roof & wind shield by dropping a coconut in his parking yard, last week another asc lost my keys !.

Will never buy a Tata , unless they outsource their service to Toyota or Maruti

[jithin23]

Originally Posted by sln

Thanks everyone for the overwhelming support. I read all the comments and I am finding it difficult to reply to all the queries. I will summarize everything and put a new comment again. Here is a quick summary.

I was contacted by the Tata Motors customer care manager and also by a legal front person after seeing this post. I will explain in detail all the interactions separate comment. But to cut it short, there is no assurance from any one. They are even finding it hard to even consider the issue for a car replacement. They are trying to leave me with the only option of taking the repaired defective car as if there is no option with them to even raise a complaint for a car replacement.

All my pleas are lost to corporate bureaucracy. I kept going in circles, General Manager, Service Manager, Customer care manager and regional customer care manager, none even considering the issue as a replacement of a defective car. There is no transparency and none seemed to be raising the issue to a higher authority in Tata Motors.

Everywhere I was firm that I am not going to accept a defective car even if they have repaired it as it will never be same as a factory fit car and a reliable car for that matter. I have asked for a brand new car without any defects or refund my money. And that if there is no way forward I will approach the Consumer Court of Law.

At present I am trying to push this to higher authorities in Tata Motors and hoping to get a positive outcome.




Thanks for making this a new thread and posting it on home page. It greatly helps my cause.

Appeal this to the consumer court with all proofs. Tata cannot keep riding on make in India and 5 star rated car statement when their cars are not even road worthy! We will emphatize and please do reach out to any of us including me to help you get a total refund on the car. This is unacceptable no matter what and knowing Tata, there is no guarantee that the replaced car will be niggle free. You can involve even a few local TV channels like NTV or TV9 Telugu and then the company will automatically understand what went wrong.

What if this smoke had to emanate and turn bigger. What if lives were lost. Will they take responsibility for your family. Then please don't spare them. I have taken insurance companies too to task once when they failed to release a claim despite my scooter being stolen. There are some bhpians who are lawyers as well who can help you strengthen your case.

I can understand the seriousness of this as I faced a same situation last year with my car catching a fire due to a short circuit of my aftermarket HID.

Also please make sure that Tata gets a stay order on manufacturing the safari untill further notice. I know this a steep and a daring ask but why should people bear the brunt by putting all their life savings on such cars.

[sln]

I was supposed to meet them at 11 AM today, but the called right about I start and delayed the meeting to 12:30 PM. I am using this free time to write this post.

First When I approached the dealer about the new car replacement for a defective car, he kept insisting that he will get the car part replaced under warranty. He's even saying that replacing the part is not same as repair. They dismantled the car that much and still saying that it's not a repair. I told him to raise my complaint to the higher ups in Tata Motors and his dealer showroom. But they don't seem to be budging.

My sister is a criminal lawyer and upon her suggestion and her consumer court contact's advice, I put the same request in writing and gave it to the General Manager. But he didn't accept it saying he doesn't have the authority and asked me to mail it. I anyway left it at his table. I have everything recorded on camera too in case he decline in future that I made a request.

At the same time I showed him the call records of my conversations with the dealer agent. On the call records I made the dealer agent confirm that the car is in good condition, that I am not being given any used car, test drive car or a demo car. I got bank account number and IFSC code confirmed. Talked about insurance details and more. I made sure all the conversations are recorded.

This made the General Manager budge and raise my concern to customer care manager. The GM gave me the impression that CCM will be able to address my issue of car replacement. And told me that he will arrange a meeting with CCM. But the meeting date kept post posing. That's where I felt they are simply buying time until the car gets repaired. On my future conversations with the CCM revealed that the CCM is not completely ware of my concerns and he is only working in getting the car repaired.

I also visited the service centre multiple times even if it took one hour to reach, talked to the service manager, got job cards printed out each time, took photos and videos of the car. Even enquired with the technician working on the car. I captured most of it on camera as well.

The Job card is where I became more suspicious as the TR number, Address, Phone number, last visit to service center, KMs run are completely different and not seem to be by accident as well. Before I made a complaint with Tata Motors customer care number. I received the sms confirmation along with TR number. When I checked with that it's same as in the job card, not mine. I had IRA app installed, there also everything is not mine its some one else's. I took all the screen shots as they can be changed later.
I want to pursue more on this if my request for the new car is denied. This can potentially lead to serious legal implications if proven true. I also raised this concern to Regional Customer Care Manager as well.

At all my interactions nobody seemed to budge. They only started acknowledging my concerns when I present them in written from, email or paper. I was even prepared to send legal notice since none of them were addressing my issue at some point.

I sent formal requests through email asking for a new car to Customer Care Manager and regional Customer Care manager.

I also asked through email about a detailed explanation of all the work that they are doing on the car, what parts are opened and why, how many people worked on it and for how long. And a detailed report on why the issue happened in the first place.

Request everything in writing and have proofs everywhere.

Later I got a call to attend a face to face meeting. Hoping for a positive review.

Letter I wrote

Hi,

I have purchased Tata Safari Accomplished + DK (AT) car from Select Cars, Chandanagar branch on 31-Jan-2024, with the value of Rs 33,74,976, paid in two instalments with receipt numbers BR\ 20-21\ XXXXX and BR\ 20-21\ XXXXX

Instead of receiving a new car I have received a defective car. The car’s ambient lights were not working and on inspection at the service center, ambient lights along with brake lights, parking lights, and number plate lights are not working due to electrical short circuiting. Another noted issue is the smoke coming from the roof side due to the same reason.

Received car Details

Chassis No: MATXXXXXXX
Engine No: XXXX-XXXX

I am formally requesting you to either replace the car with a brand new car without any defects of the same model or fully refund the amount I have paid along with applicable interest.

I have attached payment receipts and job card details for your reference.
Also attached some pictures of the repair condition of the car.

I am hopeful that we can resolve this matter amicably and promptly.

Regards,

[Gotcha]

This is such a horrible mess! Car manufacturers in India have been taking us all for a ride with poor quality control at the factory. Dealers have to do final PDI ensuring quality instead we're left to do another PDI on our own which is not foolproof due to limited time and restrictions. Then if a fault is found, a blame game starts between manufacturer and dealer leaving the end user struggling for a proper resolution in terms of refund/replacement. We badly need lemon car laws in India:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/need-...-legasispvtltd

[vegitakarthik]

Originally Posted by Rajith

I have tried all major ASCs in bangalore. One ASC damaged the roof & wind shield by dropping a coconut in his parking yard, last week another asc lost my keys !.

Exactly, this point is valid for Chennai as well. Going by google reviews only decent ones are PPS Chrompet/PPS Guindy. Even they are very cramped to service big SUVs like Harrier & Safari, resulting in scratches to the car. Also service reps doesn't seem as knowledgeable as say a Ford Service rep, from my experience.

Below are the images from Top rated(Google Reviews) TATA service centres from Coimbatore, Trichy & Chennai.
Coimbatore SGA Motors:



Trichy Kaveri Garage:



Chennai PPS Chrompet/Guindy



As you can see above, PPS service centers are super cramped compared to other two. But ideally we need bigger ones in metro due to high concentration of cars here.

The issue is multi fold:

1) Cramped service centers
2) Attitude & mindset of service executives doesn't reflect premium brand aspirations (TAMO top management most likely shares the same)
3) Not capable enough to service premium products with Hi-tech features. (This is going to blow up bad for Tata soon. Mark my words)

Unless they work on their "chalta hai" attitude, by making foundational process changes, nothing will change.

[Mad Max]

Really sorry you're going through this.

Quick questions for you

1. You mentioned that you checked the car condition from the dealer and manager. Is this a demo car or a new unit? How many kms were on the vehicle when they handed it over to you? Were you aware of the previous ownership of this vehicle before you bought it?

2. Hope you posted in Twitter and tagged Ratan Tata on this. Tag the entire management, any court officials you can find and also Team-BHP in the post. It's the will of the many against the power of the few. Not just Twitter, do post on FB on ALL Tata pages, tag the Hyderabad dealership FB in your post and also local officials on this. The more the noise you make, the more attention you get.

3. What is your end game here? Please have an exit strategy. I do understand it's your hard earned money but going in with just one option never helps. Keep your feelings aside and think hard about what will make you walk away from this with some satisfaction. Asking for a replacement car is the correct start and I, and every person on TBHP, want that to happen for you. But, in case this does not go that way, what is your second option?

I can't believe Tata has such severe quality issues. I always thought that they are doing great and have been climbing the sales charts quickly because of their newfound quality mantras. This is shocking. Meanwhile, my brother's Nano has crossed 2L kms (I think) and still puttering along happily. There's something to be said about Tata's small car business vs. their SUVs, I guess.

[vyom_elan]

Originally Posted by Rajith

I have a TATA Safari Storme which has clocked above 3Lac kms as on date.
My service bills has crossed 28Lac rs till date with issues like a can of worms still in hand.
You give for one problem to asc he will return the car with 3 more issues free of cost in 2-3 weeks after multiple calls and visits !.

I have tried all major ASCs in bangalore. One ASC damaged the roof & wind shield by dropping a coconut in his parking yard, last week another asc lost my keys !.

Will never buy a Tata , unless they outsource their service to Toyota or Maruti

Couldn't agree more.... In 2017 a relative bought a Safari storme replacing his old storme. Even with an outstanding relationship with the local dealer they sold a defective product(damaged underbody). This was revealed the next day after I went and inspected the car. Having a good relationship with the dealer helped here and the dealer who was not ready to accept his fault had to agree to replace the vehicle. We ended up cancelling the deal and upgraded to Hexa XT (after a very thorough PDI).

Needless to say one must be very careful with these dealers. Speaking of running/maintenance charges these cars consume our hard earned money like there is no tomorrow.

[newenergy]

sln, So sorry to see this. I can imagine the pain you must be going through. I hope you get the car replaced, do not budge for anything other than that.

A few days back I had taken a test drive of Harrier but it was disappointing for me. Lots of QC issues and software glitches. Now a days cars are more software-driven if not tested properly they can be life-threatening. For example take ADAS, now imagine if it applies break for no reason at high speed. They should properly test a vehicle and then release it to the public.

This is one of the reasons I would invest in a Chinese EV (BYD) rather than gamble with TATA. I think Mahindra is on the right path and not rushing the EVs and taking time to introduce proper EVs like BE series. I hope they take as much time as needed and release it when it is ready, unlike TATA.

[poloman]

Originally Posted by Mad Max

3. What is your end game here? Please have an exit strategy.

Plan B if I were to choose, if not replacement of car.

• Zero trim damage after thorough inspection vs a showroom car.
• Zero scratches or marks or gaps.
• Zero rattles or squeaks
• One should not be able to make out visible difference between a brand new car side by.
• Written guarantee that the car is delivered in showroom condition
• A window of 2-3 months to check for any potential issues due to disassembly with a promise to replace the car in such a scenario.

[lsjey]

This is sad in multiple levels:

1. This is horrible for the customer who has shelled out more than 3 million INR, and picked Tata over other brands.
2. This must be gut wrenching for the designers of the cars, who would have burnt the proverbial mid-night oil to design a great car.
3. This must be a nightmare for the marketing folks of Tata, who indeed are good. I still like to see the “reclaim your life” ads for safari and drool over the car.
4. This must be definitely very frustrating for the dealer as they have to spend a lot of time facing an irate customer while trying to work out a good solution acceptable to all involved.

IMHO the mistake lies with technicians working the production line. May be they did not test the wiring harness properly and QC team passed the car.

I’m very curious on one thing. Doesn’t Tata and other OEMs have traceability to figure out the shift, team and the individuals who assembled the wiring harness and tested and passed this car? If so what action does Tata (or other OEMs) take? Does the individual(s) get fired? Their team leaders demoted or penalised in some fashion? How do these companies treat these incidents. Much of it will never come out. But I’m sure that forum like this will have people who are in the know. Hope they can shed some light on this.

Regards,
Lsjey