Tatas complete probe into 'Nano' fire; say car safe

New Delhi, May 21 (PTI) Tata Motors on Friday claimed
that its people's car was "absolutely safe", saying a probe
into fires that gutted a couple of brand new 'Nanos' by an
expert team found 'no manufacturing defects'.
"We have concluded a comprehensive investigation into the
incidents of fire in two Tata Nanos. The investigation,
conducted by a 20-member Tata Motors Group team and an
independent forensic expert, has reaffirmed that the Tata Nano
is a safe car...
"The investigations have also revealed that the incidents
were not related," a Tata Motors' official said.
At the same time, the company offered to conduct
pre-emptive checks on all 'Nanos' on the road, starting May
24, but clarified that this was not a recall.
Recalling the incidents, the company said that the fire
in March 2010, shortly after a customer took delivery of the
car, may have been caused by a foreign object in the exhaust
system that its expert team found.
In the other case that happened in April, it was
concluded the car that was being driven to the dealership
caught fire possibly due to a ruptured fuel line.
Citing these findings, the official emphatically ruled
out allusions that there were any manufacturing defects.
The probe team drew experts from across Tata Motors
group, including the Nano project team, passenger and
commercial vehicles businesses, the Engineering Research
Centre, the Tata Motors European Technical Centre, and Jaguar
Land Rover.
Besides, an independent forensic expert from the UK was
part of the investigation, a company spokesperson said.
"It is important for us to reassure our customer base
which is why we are planning to conduct a pre-emptive
diagnostic check on all the cars with customers," he said,
emphasising that these inspections do not constitute a recall.
Delivery of Nanos began in July 2009 and since then,
more than 30,000 cars have been sold in the country. The first
composite plant for manufacturing Nano at Sanand in India's
western state Gujarat is expected to be commissioned next
month.
"The Tata Nano has undergone all the necessary
validations before delivering to customers – this includes
more than 300 prototypes which together covered more than 2
million km of safe operation in all conditions," the company
official said.
According to the spokesperson, "Each customer will be
contacted personally for the check and we will be providing
service free of cost, including additional protection,
wherever required."
Tata Motors is planning to roll out the initiative from
May 24. PTI