My 10-month-old Harrier's battery dies without any prior indication

The Tata service centre went the extra mile and offered me a Nexon as a loaner car till the car battery warranty claim was resolved.

BHPian NPV recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I’m the latest victim of the bad OEM battery in the Harrier (have heard of these failures a lot in the Harrier owners group).

This morning the car opened fine with the keyless sensor, but when I locked it, the mirrors wouldn’t fold. I tried to start the car and the ignition switch showed the green light which didn’t go away but the car wouldn’t start, then a non-stop clicking sound started. Finally, I long pressed the ignition and the light changed to amber, that’s it, the car would neither lock nor start!

I called my dealer service centre and they sent a service executive and technician over to check. When they tested with another standby battery the car started without any other warning lights. They have not given me a spare battery since they took it back along with the faulty battery for a warranty replacement claim.

The best part was the service executive told me a battery warranty claim can take 15 days so I have to wait (without a spare battery), and can’t use the car! I told him I would talk to anyone in your dealership or Tata Motors, this is simply not acceptable after paying 30 L for the car. Finally, the service GM called me to say they will give me a spare battery the day after tomorrow and I can use that till the replacement is received from Exide.

The car is just 10 months old, is that all for battery life? In a way this is good because had it happened just after the completion of 12 months, I’d have to foot the bill!

Update

My dealer service centre did not have a spare battery that they could loan for use on my car, so they tried to expedite the warranty claim process with Exide. Now, Exide says they will not approve the warranty claim until they test and verify the battery themselves.

This is where the dealer service centre went the extra mile and offered me a Nexon as a loaner car till the warranty claim was resolved by Exide. Logistics of parking space aside, I wasn’t very happy with the idea as I have some commitments and upcoming plans for using the Harrier. It was 3 days since the Harrier was left standing without a battery.

Today, I received a call from the service manager that they have procured a new Exide Red battery and they will manage the reimbursement/settlement against the warranty of the faulty OEM battery with Exide.

The new battery was fixed today and the car starts without any issues and no warning lights or any other drama.

Here's what BHPian fusionbang had to say about the matter:

Glad to know everything went smoothly and you were able to get the battery replaced in the nick of time. Still, it would be great if the dealership could get an RCA on the battery draining issue and it is not something which happens with every Harrier or Safari owner. I would be interested to know more facts about the issue which caused the battery to drain.

Here's what BHPian NPV replied:

Very true, I'm curious to know as well but I doubt if I'll hear anything.

The service advisor who visited my home to disconnect the battery told me they would first try a deep charge at the service centre to verify if the battery was faulty before they proceeded with a warranty claim. I clearly told him and his boss later on the phone that the sudden discharge that happened with my car's battery clearly indicates a faulty battery and even if they concluded the battery can be used, I want Exide to have it checked.

The next day they called me saying the battery charged fine and their test showed "good battery" and I was like seriously? Later that evening they called back to say the battery discharged fully.

I'm happy they were honest and transparent right through and took it to a conclusion that was in favour of the customer and hats off to them, we need to hear more such examples from Tata to improve confidence and perception about the brand. Thus far in my almost 1 year of ownership, I don't have any reason to complain, not even this. It could have happened to any car!

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